Let's Pretend We're Drowning
by SadieMichelle
Summary: Eden is kidnapped by a manipulative, vengeful psychopath named Khan. Upon learning what he wants, death is beginning to look like the better choice.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm taking liberties here concerning what the enterprise crew said about Khan being primal. It's a fascinating term because mentally and physically, he outmatched everyone while managaing to stay one step ahead. So, I'd like to do my own interpretation. Primal being in this case, an early stage in evolutionary development or basic urge. Who knew what life was like for him three centuries ago? And from his warring nature, he does appear to be a rather dominant individual. Sorry if this offends someone or you hate it. But the plot bunny is a thumping! Oh, and it's set before the explosion in London. Khan will eventually go through with his deeds, but I've portrayed him a bit differently. Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 1**

Eden awoke to an unfamiliar coolness spreading through her skull. Being trapped in a musty, inferno environment of a cramped basement for a week straight tends to make one forgot how liberating a switch in temperature feels, this time being no different.

Almost impulsively, she snuggled closer to the chillness, briefly relieved to have a reprieve from the heavy heat weighing upon her like a blanket.

With eyes tightly bolted and the ability to deduct her surroundings, muted, she came to realize with groggy slowness that it was a hand which gave off such pleasing stabilization. Caught in her hair with the slightest of grips, twirling her black, greasy locks ever so casually.

Almost instantly, Eden pried her eyes open and nearly cursed at seeing Khan's patiently sitting form beside her head on the concrete floor, fingers playing idly with her hair.

"Please, don't touch me," she blurted.

A useless argument to voice as the man did what he wanted, whenever he felt like it. Something she'd learned remarkably fast in her first day of captivity.

Nonetheless, the request needed to be emitted. Strangely enough, his unusual stroking bothered her more than his outbursts of violence.

Just as well, there existed a blunt need to remind him she wasn't a pet, even though on most occasions, this proclamation proved useless.

Khan's fingers momentarily ceased as he studied her with a blank face.

From her position on the floor, she was seeing him a bit crookedly, and in the dimness of the basement, only the sharp angles of his cheekbones and hawkish, blue-green eyes were clearly definable.

In her study, she briefly noted how wickedly unfair it was that he happened to be such a handsome specimen no matter what angle she studied him in or what emotion stormed across his features. Cruelly unfair, in fact. To be blessed with charming looks, but be a cold blooded psychopath down to the bone.

"I'm not a particular fan of begging," he admitted with a frown, returning back to his ministrations. "It's unbecoming. And rather unattractive."

"My intention is not to appear attractive to you," Eden pointed out, refusing to tear her gaze away first. "I might even go as far as to say that I prefer the days when you let me starve and left me to myself, as opposed to this."

This got the man's attention. Or at least a raise of both eyebrows. Another thing she'd noted. He didn't express emotion on purpose. Everything he wanted revealed, was planned ahead of time.

Unless it was pleasure. Though, she learned quite quickly they had very opposite definitions of what pleasure meant.

The expectant pause never once deterred him as his fingers kept rubbing and threading, thumb particularly insistent on massaging the roots of each strand of hair.

It felt heavenly. It felt electric. It felt refreshing. And in a truly repulsive way, it felt almost loving.

"Why?" he questioned, eyes momentarily leaving her own as he lazily trailed the movement of his long, thin fingers. "I thought this would be a nice reward for your compliant behavior. And by the temperatures you are exhibiting, I'm to guess the heat is..._excruciating_."

Breathing in and out calmly, Eden fought the instinct to lean further into Khan's cool touch, a subtle smirk tugging at his lips as he noted her struggle.

It was of course true. Her body resembled a furnace and with each breath, she felt as if she were adding weight atop her lungs by the mugginess in the air. Sweat ran freely down her back in ticklish meanders while her forehead bore the sticky, slanted strands of her black bangs. It might have helped to slip off her cargo pants and t-shirt, but for obvious reasons, she neglected these options.

It made her sick to admit that for as intensely hostile and violent as Khan was, his prolonged existence actually allowed him to skillfully succumb his prey with a simple touch. Or at least lull them into a false sense of security.

And at this point and time, Eden definitely felt the full extent of his touch. Which was what he wanted. Glaringly clear now, for her to acknowledge or perhaps thank him like he was doing her a favor by providing a remedy to her ailment.

But internally, she knew it would never be something she begged for. She was wielded out of tougher guts and backbone than to submit to a touch, no matter how comforting or rinsing it felt. Especially from Khan who saw their every encounter as nothing more than a game.

"I'm unnerved at your actions," Eden admitted, sensing somehow that he actually wanted to keep a conversation going. "What good can come from waking up to a mentally unhinged man stroking my hair while I rest in the prison he's contained me too?"

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she felt vibrations against her skull. From the fingers currently entangled in her black curls. Meaning that the vibration had descended from his shoulder, and that shoulder happened to connect to his chest. Which could only mean the man who could keep his face frighteningly vacant, was actually sharing a swallowed laugh at her expense.

This worried her very much. She could never tell if his amusement was genuine or mocking. He was dangerous that way.

But when she noted his eyes trained on her, his hand having paused in place, she guessed it was a rare mix of both.

"A fine point you make, pet. Perhaps I should entertain myself by snapping off a few of your fingers. A test to see which one pains the most."

Gritting her teeth, Eden forced her gaze to the opposite side of the room, a renewal of fury sliding through her veins so quickly she was momentarily dizzied by it.

"Nothing to say?" Khan murmured mockingly after a moment of tense silence.

"Nothing you can sanely handle hearing," she growled back.

Another vibration sped through his fingers.

"I think it would frighten you to know that I am doing this out of something akin to tranquility. I do not feel conflicted nor pressured nor irritated."

"As I've stated previously, that's far scarier than when you show your true colors."

"I suppose if it truly bothers you so much," Khan relented, removing his hand from her scalp, "then I will offer you an alternative."

Eden shut her eyes again, spent at the energy and courage it took to simply speak to him.

"Tonight, I've decided you will be my distraction," the man began when she didn't speak. "However, if you do not wish to comply and allow me to continue my touches, I suppose I could always chain you up from the ceiling by your hands and allow a less composed, less controlled man than I to have his own fun with your body."

For a moment and certainly not for the first time, Eden wanted to do nothing more than shoot up from her spot and send a fist straight into Khan's satisfied face. Just to feel the triumphant crack beneath her knuckles and the knowing look drain out of his face. It would probably satisfy her enough to not fear his response.

But then she remembered he would kill her, most likely. In their game, he never liked to be underhanded. If she came close to doing so, he enjoyed showing her that she could be killed not only quickly, but meticulously slow if he so wished.

And for once in her nineteen years of living, she was willing to swallow not only her pride, but her usually haywire impulses, in order to survive. A lesson one learned when meeting a psychopath.

Plus, she knew he would do exactly as he suggested. They were laying low in a not so sparkly part of London where the wealth and technology didn't quite trickle it's way down to the surrounding streets. People were desperate to pass their boredom. Not so nice people, to be exact.

"What a bargain," she congratulated.

"I would choose wisely...and quickly. The whores in these parts are bruised and used beyond even my repair. Think what a treat it would be to stumble upon such a delicate, ripe unused body."

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Eden attempted desperately to gaze at the bright side of the spectrum.

"I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me since we met," she concluded.

"Always one with a reply," he noted. "Your words cannot come to your rescue all the time, pet. Now choose or I will choose for you."

She hated herself exponentially for her reply. Which, of course, he intended.

"You can continue playing with my hair."

"Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?" Khan inquired, fingers already diving into the jungle of midnight black. "Submission should feel natural to you."

Her response was bit down as a particularly pleasant shiver strummed up her spine, the heat seemingly melting away just with a touch.

"You think this pleasant, just wait until these fingers are manipulating your flesh," he revealed. "A torture I doubt even you are prepared for."

"I won't let yo-."

"Won't you?" he mused, giving her hair a slight tug. "As a pet, it is in your nature to submit to me. Whether it occurs tomorrow or in a week, I do not care. But it will happen eventually."

Eden attempted to keep control of her heart rate, utterly confused as to where their conversation was steering.

"I'm not your pet," she calmly informed. "I'm an independent, human girl you kidnapped because you not only enjoy hearing yourself speak an insufferable amount, but something inside you can't handle being challenged. That's why you took me."

To her shock (and nervousness), he remained deathly silent, fingers crawling with an unfathomable leisureliness through her hair. For the moment, she chose not to look at him.

"You were frustrated when I chose not to tell you my name and furious when for a moment, I saw through the kind and noble John Harrison disguise. Don't I regret like hell ever going to that library and running into you. I could have just stayed home and avoided being kidnapped and kept in a basement. But even if you did your worst to me, I would never regret telling you off. Because in that moment, you were so sure that the mask you wore couldn't be cracked. You held the arrogance of an empire. Which by the way, don't have a history of lasting forever. If I am indeed the pet you're making me out to be, then guess what, Khan? I royally bit you in the ass."

Her gratification for having made such a bold speech, lasted an impressive five seconds before there was a retaliation.

One moment, Eden had been laying on her side, trying to ignore Khan's hand, the next, she was splayed out on her back, ignoring the thumping from when her skull met concrete.

Above her, Khan loomed with two hands positioned on either side of her head. Only too late did she make a noticeable struggle to close her legs. A failed attempt as Khan nudged them further apart, his abdomen not particularly shy about covering her own while his torso continued to inch down until his arctic breath blew over her entire face, still damningly comforting in its own right against the blistering heat.

The trick was to ignore all of these meetings of flesh and actually focus on his head hovering above her own.

"You may find your defiance endearing, but it sealed your fate," Khan determined darkly, blue-green eyes unyielding in their intensity. "One glance across the library and I could already determine the positions I would take you in that'd have you screaming for me until your throat grew hoarse. Even now, you tremor at these thoughts. A _proper_ response from a _proper_ pet."

In his declaration, Khan's voice grew deeper until it held at a menacing baritone sound, successfully frightening her, though she'd never let on.

"Find someone else," Eden suggested.

"Someone else?" he repeated slowly, staring at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"To be your pet," she elaborated. "If that's all you wanted me for, I know girls who are really into that. Don't take my defiance as a sign of pursuit."

Khan's expression just barely grazed upon bewildered before a hard look struck his eyes and one of his hands moved to grab her chin, keeping it in a firm hold toward him. It didn't help that his lips were centimeters away from her own either.

"You mistake this all for chance," he all but growled, features darkening. "Everything about you inside that library, called to me. It awoke within me the need to possess and dominate and own. Primal traits common of man, but heavily dictated by your society. My people never repressed such urges and we advanced as a result rather than fight what is so heavily ingrained within us."

Attempting to follow Khan's logic of thinking proved just manageable for Eden. Partly because she was terrified of what would happen should she be left behind in the dust and only have his word to take.

"That does not give you the right to kidnap people and treat them as nothing but pets to submit," she objected. "I don't care how old of a custom this is for you. We have rules for a reason. To prevent situations like this where both people are not consenting."

"Your consent is not necessary," Khan replied simply, the edge of one lip curving up. "For the most part, you have no say in the matter. But if you submit, it will be substantially far more pleasant for you."

"What will?"

In a split second, Eden became aware of two very daunting things.

One, Khan's eyes were a hue darker than they'd been seconds ago. And two, her inner right thigh suddenly had a very _pressing_ visitor.

"I should hope you're able to connect this part," he mentioned.

"Never. Going. To. Happen," she firmly punctuated, gritting her teeth in the process.

Yes, she most definitely missed cold and hostile Khan as opposed to this one.

"Even with your brave words, your body will end up betraying you," he declared. "Now that I ponder on it, you really never stood a chance the moment you entered the library."

"I'm not going to let you screw me because something in your body is calling for it," Eden argued.

"Everything in my body is calling for it," he explained patiently. "Will you be able to fight it all off, pet?"

She settled for a glare and to her relief, Khan slowly backed himself away from her, allowing her to release a few deep pants, arms still spread out.

During her gathering of breath, Khan had moved to his feet, peering down at her, face unreadable once again. Though, she knew instinctively something had changed. During the first week he'd kept her down here, she didn't make it a habit of studying the way he watched her. There wasn't much she could gather on an initial sweep anyway and she'd been more worried he would just kill her.

But now, she saw it. Buried in the tautness of his jaw and furrow of his brow and piercing of his eyes - a ravaging _need_. It existed, it thrived, and because of her dumb luck, she would always be able to pick it out.

"If you submit, I will let you go," he tried, continuing to gaze at her.

"No you won't."

He eyed her thoughtfully.

"Clever thing."

And with that, he left.

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**Ugh, can you imagine Cumberbatch giving a speech like that? Frightening/intense/erotic. Surprisingly effective. Yes, yes, what the hell did I just create? Is it like a claim? Soulmates? What is it? Well, for the moment, it's exactly as Khan says it is. Eden's body inadvertently called for the awakening of his primal instincts, which in this case are to submit Eden to his sexual whim after having kidnapped her. That's a bit out there, isn't it? I'm a terrible person and terrible at plot lines *don't throw things at me* But Khan can be a manipulative bastard, can't he? Certainly loves playing with her hair and won't let her say otherwise. Don't worry, he's not going to rape her. Ever. But he is a bit persistent, especially now that he's a bit hormonal. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Um...wow. So I can't even comprehend the response this story has gotten. Positive response, at that. Partly, I'm attributing it to the lack of Khan stories, but it warms my heart to know there are others who are truly intrigued by the story. However, there is something I want to get out of the way first now that I've seen all the different kinds of readers I have. This story will be contained only from what I've observed about Khan in this newest Star Trek film - Into Darkness. I will draw my own reasonings and storylines regarding him. I say this because I've never watched an original Star Trek episode with Khan in it, so I'm not attempting to bring that character into this story. This is Cumberbatch's Khan and like I said, I'm taking certain liberties here so depending on your interpretation of him, he may come off a bit OC. I guess that's the major thing I wanted to get out of the way. Other than that, thank you exponentially for your reviews, story alerts, and story favoriting. Now that I have a plot working its way out in my head, I'm excited to bring you along on this adventure. However, I will be making slight diversions from the film after Khan bombs the London archive for what I hope are obvious reasons. Also, this chapter begins roughly a few hours after the first one. Still the same day. Otherwise, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

"Your name. What are its origins?"

Eden ignored his question, fingers bent on tearing apart the half-stiff bread in her lap and stuffing it down her throat. A bit barbaric, perhaps, and it would surely have her mother rolling in her grave to know her daughter had lost all signs of etiquette behavior in little more than a week.

But on the other hand, Khan rarely actually fed her. She was sure her mother wouldn't take too much offense.

Though, shockingly, Eden didn't think this was an intentional action. He'd proved to her how strong of a being he was and with his sub-human build up, she doubted he needed to be sustained as often as a normal human did. Most likely, or maybe to spare herself a headache, she concluded Khan forgot to provide her with food because he himself wasn't in a desperate need of it himself.

Which was great. To have the same eating cycles of her captor. Simply did _wonders_ to her figure.

"I enjoy being answered, pet."

Her teeth paused around a chunk of bread she'd been ready to shove in. With a gradual slowness, she glanced up at him.

"I enjoy being fed."

At his expressionless stare, she continued her ravagement of the bread.

Three days, Eden recalled. That's how long it'd been since he fed her. And though it was depressing to think about, she needed to gain all the weight she could to avoid malnourishment.

"I rarely eat."

"I know," was all she mumbled, understanding it was as close to acknowledging her starvation as he'd come.

He sat three feet away in a wooden chair with cushioned, black armrests. But he didn't engage their use, rather leaning forward with clasped hands, elbows atop his knees, back ramrod straight, studying her every motion.

Eden did everything in her power not to squirm underneath his gaze. It spoke of purpose and expectation and both of these things successfully managed to frighten her if he was involved. Plus, if she ate as savagely as she could, maybe he'd be so disgusted by her he'd actually leave her to eat in peace.

"Your posture and resistence claim disinterest, but you have observed me just as I have done you."

Glancing at her lap, Eden sighed at the last piece, no bigger than her palm. Should she eat it now? Or perhaps hold on to it? The uncomfortable twisting in her stomach suggested the former, but logic told her the latter could keep her going in the long run.

"You are attracted to me."

Quite suddenly, all of Eden's appetite vanished.

Sharply, she looked at him, frown in place.

"I think you're mistaking attraction for calculation. I'm going to gain all the intel I can about my captor if I ever plan to leave this place. I'm sure you've utilized this same ability yourself," she recited. "Though, you're a bit narcissistic about it, aren't you?"

"Hardly," he chided.

"I'm sure," she replied, smiling somewhat.

"I am confident in my abilities and my strengths. If this is defined as narcissism in your eyes, I pity what faint shards of a life you carried prior to my intervening."

Instinctively, Eden knew he was attempting to goad her. Prod at her emotions, her words, and make her so confused about what she'd said that ultimately, he'd have the upper hand once more. This wasn't unusual behavior for him. He loved to play around with words.

This time, however, she wasn't interested in giving him the satisfaction.

"You are right," she admitted, throwing in a bit of false cheer into her voice. "You don't like to hear the sound of your own voice and I'm completely attracted to you. My life did suck before you came along. How perceptive, Khan. I'm indebted to your wise assumptions."

She could almost feel the increase in tension throughout the air. Still muggy of course, but peppered in with a bit of spice.

"You dare mock my intellect?"

It wasn't difficult to pick out the danger in his question. She just needed to figure out how far she wanted to push it. His superior intelligence was a topic she knew he was a bit fussy about. There existed no one in modern times who could combat his wills, according to him.

"Mock? Never! Question? Perhaps. But why does it matter what I think? I'm your pet, right? My opinion means nothing."

"I am glad you are beginning to accept your place."

Eden nearly rolled her eyes at the response.

"That was a cheap shot and you know it."

The corner of his lips quirked up in a faint amusement.

"So it was. That being said, have you thought over the role you will eventually come to serve?"

"Yes."

Seeing she wouldn't elaborate on her answer, Khan's eyes traveled down to the piece of bread in her lap.

"You need proper feeding," he added.

"How perceptive."

He found her eyes, seemingly intent on boring a hole right through her head.

"I have never had a pet before," he told her. "In a way, I am at odds as to how to treat you. I know you are rebellious, so your current living arrangement is necessary. What makes things complicated is your nature. In my time, generally, pets were either of our own people or those similar to our intellect. But you are...utterly human. Though my body and instincts reacted in kind, a few days needed to be taken so I could adjust to such an unfortunate development."

She bit down on all the curses she meant to send his way regarding his own nature, settling for a blank stare reminiscent of his. This tid bit of information enraged her, but on the other hand, there could still be some loophole or a way out based on what he revealed.

"Now that I have, know that I will attempt to provide you with reasonable conditions. Food being the primary example. At least until your body is open, receiving my own."

"Ugh," she complained, nose scrunching up. "You just had to ruin it with that last bit, didn't you?"

He looked like he wanted to scowl at her, but held it back with an assured smirk.

"You will submit."

"Highly debatable," Eden argued. "Actually, I'm curious as to my other option."

Khan only rose an eyebrow in response, tilting his head slightly.

"Killing me," she specified. "Couldn't you just kill me?"

Rather than pleasure or eagerness appearing on his features, Khan's mouth twisted down, eyebrows knitted together. Unlike other times when he became annoyed or furious by her, this was the archetype of an emotion she had yet to witness on his face. And it made her almost regret saying what she did.

It's not like she really wanted to die. She still held an unshakeable strand of hope inside her that she could walk away from this situation without any major repercussions.

But part of her couldn't resist seeing how committed Khan actually was to making her submit. It would both help her in any future planning and allow her to understand just how grave her situation really was.

"I will not allow death to have you."

Shivers practically skipped down her spine at the intense comment.

"I'm starting to think death is the better option here."

"If that is the case, I have no problem doing as I mentioned earlier," he rasped back steadily, but with a great amount of force, indicating his anger. "Containing you to chains. But will that honestly be an issue? A death by your own hand? A repulsive and dishonorable way to go."

"As I've said earlier, my intent is to not appear attractive to you. It's a last resort should you turn to cruelty in order to get what you want."

"Meaning?" he eyed her intensely.

At her lack of response, he managed to draw the conclusion.

"You will submit to me first," Khan reaffirmed, seemingly more incensed by her insinuation despite the composure masking his face. "I will do what I can to tempt your faith and your body, both of which are remarkably easy to persuade. Ultimately, however, you will be the one to offer up yourself to me. Force, in this case, is not a pleasing means of gaining what I want. It ruins the entire purpose of having a pet."

It was astounding how he managed to simultaneously soothe and insult her with one speech.

"Do you understand why this is not going to work?" Eden groaned in exasperation, eyebrows raised. "I mean truthfully understand. You kidnapped me. You're keeping me imprisoned in a basement that's going to give me heat stroke. You hardly feed me. You twist every word I say out of fun. You've used violence against me. And you treat me as nothing but a common animal. How the hell do you honestly think I'm going to willingly give myself to you? I've gathered you're mentally unstable, but this is a whole other level of insanity."

He actually looked slightly taken aback, though that could have just been the lighting.

But to her surprise, he didn't respond. And because of his silence, a thought struck her.

"Wow...oh, wow," she exclaimed with a humorless laugh. "I get it. I think...I understand."

She shook her head, hands grabbing on to her neck, fingers entwining.

"You think you're actually doing me a favor. None of this - my living condition, the way you treat me, the kidnapping - bothers you. You truly see me as such an unworthy life form that these conditions are ones I should be grateful to you for giving me. You think a few touches and pleasant conversations will win me over because that's your perception of anyone beneath you, human in this case. Weak, sniveling, eager to please, desperate."

She didn't look at him, but his silence proved her theory right.

"Let me ask you something, Khan," she decided, eyes focused on her knees. "If I was of your own people, would you be treating me this way? Like...a dog. No, even a dog gets better treatment than this."

That spice she'd felt in the atmosphere, broke open and seeped into each molecule of oxygen she breathed in. Each inhale felt like her lungs were burning.

"You are not of my people," he concluded stonily. "Such respect and accommodations aren't necessary."

Although she knew it, the words still pained her to hear. Inside her chest, more specifically.

"Then my submission to you isn't necessary," she decided, finally meeting his eyes. "Human I may be, but I know enough that I don't deserve to be treated the way you treat me. And that any compliments you have are to benefit only yourself because you think I'll find kindness in them and lower my guard down. Humans are weak? Let me show you how weak I really am."

He stared at her, face void of expression, for so long that she was sure there was a plot rattling around in his brain to kill her. Not that it would shock her entirely. She was once again challenging him. Though the last time she did this, the outcome ended up with her kidnapping, she once again couldn't hold it against herself for saying what she did.

Part of her was hellbent on maintaining a backbone. No man, human or otherwise, would be able to wipe away the confidence and belief she'd held within herself since birth. The other part, unfortunately, wanted to show him that all his perceptions of humanity were wrong. Something she knew were wrong, but despite the superior intelligence he carried, he didn't.

"An admirable speech," Khan finally acknowledged. "Indeed, let us see how weak you are."

She felt deflated inside, but kept her eyes trained on him, unwilling to let him see her internal turmoil.

Something flashed across his face for the briefest of moments. Something she couldn't name, but for some reason or other, supplied her with assurance. Not in her situation, exactly, but in her words. It told her that despite Khan's belief it would be a battle of her body's response to him, the real war would be carried out through what she said.

But of course, it could have just been the lighting again.

"Eat your food," he commanded, standing up.

Eden grabbed on to the poor excuse for sustenance in her lap, studying it sadly.

In one fluid motion, she chucked it across the room, satisfied when the shadows swallowed it.

He watched her for a few seconds before departing up the stairs wordlessly.

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**That's a doozy. Khan is really a complicated fellow, isn't he? Let's hope Eden's words are actually getting through to him. Which is terrifying in its own right. Having someone treat you worthlessly and yet expect so much in return. Luckily, Eden sees things for how they are. Speaking of this, next chapter, I'll be going into the first meeting between Khan and Eden. Some of you have high expectations for this meeting, but it really isn't anything outstanding. I mean, yes, it is. But prior to their meeting, Khan never expected anybody to question his alias or deny him something when he could pretend to be such a considerate fellow. Like John Harrison. But he meets a bit of a road block in Eden. Mainly, it's the conversation they had that I'll be getting into. Hope you enjoyed that. It can't all be sexual threats on Khan's part. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**As I promised, the first meeting between Eden and Khan is written out in italics. It's nothing spectacular, a bit fast paced, but it happens with Khan behaving as his alias and not getting the results he sought out. For the most part, I'm going to leave Eden's back story in the dark. This is intentional because there is an event further along in the story which will broadcast some light on it. But you'll get to know her in bits and pieces, along the way. Sorry this took so long to get out as well. It took a few revisions before I finally felt satisfied enough to send it out. I can't properly thank you guys for all the reviews you've given me. So much to think over, but so much inspiration as well. I haven't been this excited by a story and the response it's gotten, in a long time. Thank you very much. If you have a personal question regarding a character or something in the story, please feel free to private message me. Otherwise, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

_"Hello."_

_Eden placed a thumb on an inky page nine, grass green eyes glancing up._

_"Hi," she smiled briefly. "Am I in your way?"_

_"Not at all," the man assured. "Actually, I was curious about the book you were reading. If I had read it before myself."_

_She expected his eyes to drop to the book cover upon making his comment, thus showcasing his interest, but oddly enough, he kept his eyes trained on her._

_Eden didn't dissect this little action too deeply, however. Other memories were at work, dueling around in her mind._

_"If you have, I'd be impressed. It's Dr. Seuss. How the Grinch Stole Christmas," she revealed, studying it somewhat bittersweetly._

_If he was surprised by it being a children's novel in the hands of a near adult, he didn't voice it._

_"Is it of sentimental value to you?"_

_When she looked up to answer, unsure exactly in what context he meant the question, Eden noted the slight increase of concentration in his eyes, studying her through narrowed lids. Just as well, he was now a few steps nearer to her than he'd been before. Nothing imposing, but a noticeable difference._

_"My mother read it to me," she informed, choosing to ignore the man's actions. "Though, not for the reason you'd assume. She read it to let me know how silly I was to enjoy a story composed of rhymes."_

_He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue, but Eden suddenly didn't feel like discussing her mother anymore. Though in death, her mother could be quite the topic for debate, in front of this stranger, it felt eerily personal. And his intrusive staring certainly didn't help any._

_"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Eden redirected, snapping the book shut and placing it on a nearby table._

_"I never gave it. My name is John Harrison."_

_"John Harrison," she repeated slowly, testing the name on her lips. "You don't look like a John Harrison. Your features are too unique. And you've got this intenseness in your eyes that I think comes naturally to you. You need a more distinguished name. Then again, if you live a fairly dull life, perhaps I'd consider my opinion wrong."_

_He stared at her without so much as a blink for such a long while that Eden had the decency to become uncomfortable. Perhaps his name really wasn't John Harrison, or maybe she'd simply struck a nerve, she wasn't positive._

_But whatever conceived his reaction, she knew enough to apologize and shut up._

_"Sorry about that. I...ramble on sometimes. I meant no offense."_

_"None taken," he brushed off, finally gaining animation back into his features. "May I inquire as to what yours is?"_

_It seemed a pleasant enough request, but as soon as Eden opened her mouth to answer, the words wouldn't budge. She thought this strange until she realized none of her actually wanted to tell this man her name. And the more she tried to usher her name out, the more her brain disagreed with her._

_"You may inquire," she eventually declared. "But I'm not going to tell you."_

_He appeared surprised, and the genuineness of it informed her he wasn't surprised often._

_"Why not?"_

_His response held a bit of a bite. Almost as if he were taking offense at her secretiveness._

_"Because I'm on my way home and other than this encounter, we will most likely never see each other again. It'd be pointless, really."_

_To initiate her point, Eden made to take a step around him._

_In a flash, however, John's broad shoulders blocked her way._

_She reached in height to just above his collarbone and found her eyes gradually skipping from the pale, muscled column of his throat up to his eyes._

_"I must not have been as blunt as I had intended," he realized, keeping her in place with his stare. "I would like to get to know you better."_

_"Why?"_

_"You are polite, but detached. Attractive, but not one to flaunt your appeal. Sentimental, yet your intellect ultimately shelters you from disappointment. Understandably, my curiosity is piqued."_

_Unable to contain the shock on her face, Eden attempted to reply with something worthy. Because honestly, who wouldn't feel warm with the praises he'd given her?_

_"Thank you," was all she managed, feeling a bit flustered. "You'd be surprised to know how many people judge by a pretty face. Not to say I'm overly appealing. Childhood pictures of me can attest to that. But it's nice to be seen beneath a mask sometimes."_

_"So you will allow me to have your company tonight?"_

_Eden hesitated despite his compliment, unsure as to why things still felt...out of place. Yes, she'd been asked on dates before, but she could determine just by one glance, what they'd ultimately been seeking in her._

_John Harrison was different._

_Even if she spent the entire night studying him, she still wouldn't be able to gather what it was he wanted from her. And while anyone could meet in a library and amble off to dinner afterwards because they'd found they had something in common, she felt an unspoken inequality pulsing between them. An inequality regarding him knowing far more about her than she liked. _

_Physically and mentally, he was composed, intelligent, and confident. A dream suitor in any other case._

_However, none of his actions and intentions quite struck Eden as sincere. Just like his name being John Harrison, even though his features hardly suited him for such a common name. _

_Something didn't quite fit._

_"I have to be getting home, actually," she decided, smiling nervously. "But it was a nice offer. I'm just not particularly interested in dating. Personal thing. Not you."_

_Again, she made to weave around him, but without warning, his hand shot out and clamped down on her left shoulder, not painfully, but firm enough to where she had to stop to look back at him._

_"I insist," he tried again._

_This time, his attempt at a pleasant voice, cracked. Like fire wood being splintered in half by a determined ax._

_Eden managed to reassure herself that nothing life threatening could happen to her when she remembered it was a public library she stood in, not a backdoor alley. And this bit of knowledge spurred on her next action._

_With a bright smile, she placed a warm hand upon the one attached to her shoulder, meeting his eyes obligingly._

_"If you don't get your hand off my shoulder in three seconds, John Harrison, I will be forced to retaliate. And for once, gender inequality will work in my favor," she chipperly explained, nails digging into his skin threateningly. "Shall I begin the count down, or do you think you've got it from here?"_

_Once again, she could tell he'd been surprised. And this time around, he didn't bother disguising his true feelings._

_He sneered at her with an expression so venomous Eden nearly retracted her own hand, not so enthused about stirring his anger._

_But, her confidence held secure._

_"One," she began._

_"You will not enjoy what happens if you attempt to-."_

_"**Two**."_

_His agitation was evident as she blew past his threat._

_"I will not unhand-."_

_"THREE."_

_There was a nanosecond in which they stared at each other mutely, neither making a move._

_Then, Eden's finger nails broke through skin._

_The action jolted John, his hand finally slipping off her shoulder so he could observe it. Again, he only appeared mildly surprised, not pained, at the wound._

_But it was enough for Eden to go through with her next motions, understanding it wouldn't be good to stick around for his reaction._

_With one hasty jump forward, she knelt him directly in the groin, the resounding sound not one she'd like to ever remember._

_And finally, she was able to witness a proper reaction to pain as he staggered backwards into a nearby table, bending over slightly while his hands cupped his crotch._

_"Goodbye, John Harrison," she ended. "And a word of advice - threats don't work well with flirtation."_

_Ever so casually, she sped to the exit, content with not seeing what sort of glare was being aimed at her back._

_It wasn't until Eden was halfway to her home, blanketed by the darkness, that she realized why her attack had been so successful. Granted, kneeling any man in the groin could cause them to lose breath and become unsteady on their feet. But based on the way John observed his hand after she'd practically stabbed it with her finger nails, she determined he had an impressive threshold for pain. __Being decked in the crotch was a painful enough incident, especially if the genitalia was limp and unresponsive. The only thing she seemed to remember in the self defense course her father had been adamant about her taking. __The pain, however, could be doubled if the member was partly or fully erect._

_Though she discovered it with a mixture of disgust and dread, it didn't change the facts. Eden's attack elicited such an agonizing response because John Harrison had been fully aroused upon meeting her knee._

_And that only made her escape that much more gratifying._

/./././././././././

Eden wasn't particularly shocked when her sleep was interrupted by a hand roaming through her hair. What she had to fight was the urge to scramble away from it despite the reassuring coolness as snippets of the dream regarding their first meeting, replayed tauntingly in her mind.

If any good could come from that incident, Eden supposed, it'd be learning not to engage in conversation with handsome men in libraries. Because most likely they were already insane and had premeditated intent to kidnap you.

With an agitated sigh, she opened her eyes, vision a bit blurry.

"Responsive," Khan approved lowly, fingers working miracles across her sensitive scalp. "Even in dreams, you recognize my touch."

"Not this again," she groaned.

"Why so displeased, pet?"

Stifling a growl, Eden neutrally retorted, "Other than the obvious, how would you like it if I played with your hair, huh? With my disgusting, dirty, human fingers?"

Instantly, his hand paused, strands of hair wedged firmly in between his fingers.

Eden expected some sort of emotionless response about how he'd break her digits off one by one if she so even dared to touch him.

What greeted her instead was a heavy silence.

She didn't know exactly what inspired her next set of actions. It could have been the reminiscing she'd done in her subconscious state of first meeting Khan. A raw anger still pulsed when she remembered everything from his compliment to his inquiry about the book she'd been reading, had all been carefully timed and rehearsed.

Or perhaps it was the thought that his current silence meant he wouldn't dignify her with a response.

Whatever emotion set her off, Eden sprang up from her resting position with nothing short of pesky impulse guiding her.

Oddly enough, Khan stayed motionless as she crawled toward him, most likely assured that if she were to engage in violence, he could easily subdue her.

Which he could.

But, Eden wasn't going for violence. If he saw humans in such a displeasing manner as she believed he did, then she'd show him just how much of a hypocrite he was in wanting her submission.

They were practically nose to nose, Eden resting upon her knees, unflinching against the piercing stare he watched her with. The atmosphere, tense with heat, made her look wild and unkempt. The way he watched her also added to the difficulty of breathing calmly. Needless to say, the predatory stare came naturally to him.

"Compliance, in this case, would kill me," she stated evenly, feeling liberated in revealing this. "For all your acclaimed intelligence, you are far too ignorant to understand that."

Before he could fire off a response, Eden raised her right hand, allowing her palm to briefly hover over Khan's cheek. It unnerved her slightly when in the short distance between her palm and his cheek, an electricity stirred, licking across her heated skin.

But she avoided at all costs, any probable causes for the reaction.

Instead, she slid the tips of her fingers through his sleek, black hair.

"Wow," escaped from her lips before she could clamp down on it.

His hair was ungodly soft and _thick_. Just another irrational compliment God paid to the psychopath upon birth. And like her scalp had radiated heat, his felt cool to the touch, thus becoming a sense of shelter for her humid fingers.

"Why is this happening to me?" she murmured quietly, reluctantly feeling her anger ebb away as her fingers increased their meandering. "And don't respond to that. I won't like what you have to say."

Khan followed her request for all of ten seconds.

"You know why. Cease fighting it."

She wanted to smile because it almost sounded vaguely like a compliment.

However, she kept her eyes trained on his head, not wanting to see what triumphant look displayed across his features.

Realistically, she'd meant to expose his own hypocrisy in allowing her to touch him. Instead, the action actually managed to soothe her senses as well as her insides, much like a drug does an addict.

And in that moment, it was agreed upon unanimously by her brain and soul that she was suffering from a serious case of bipolarism.

"Your touch is tolerable," he added.

Growing slightly puzzled at the _definite_ compliment, Eden stopped her movements, gaze traveling down to Khan.

"Why are you saying this?" she demanded, unable to keep out her suspicion.

Though he didn't reply, keeping his expression void, Eden discovered the answer on her own after her hand involuntarily flexed centimeters away from his head, noting immediately the slight strain Khan made towards her open palm.

"You...like this."

"Yes."

"I'm human."

"Unfortunately."

"So...you're reluctantly enjoying my attentions?"

"Are you always so despairingly slow in deducing the obvious?"

She ignored the insult in light of the surprise bubbling inside her.

"You are very confusing," Eden remarked in wonder. "How the hell do you expect me to submit to you if you detest my species, but not my touch?"

"You have considered submission, then?"

"This is hypothetical!" she snapped, trying to keep her focus and sanity from wearing thin. "You aren't fond of humanity, but your...primal instincts are intent on not only screwing me, but having me submit in the process. How is that going to work?"

For a split second, a mixture of confusion and understanding sped across Khan's face. Confusion, Eden ascertained, because he might have been equally puzzled as to what the proper answer could be to her question. And understanding because there existed a possibility that she was right.

Well, she knew she was right, at least. But again, Khan was a bit slow when it came to these sort of things.

"You don't have to answer that either," she relented, finally pulling back her hand and setting it atop her knee. "Which is me being merciful, by the way. I understand you've got to sort out your priorities."

"Meaning?"

Of course he couldn't handle her mercy without sounding viciously peeved, if the return of his sneer wasn't any indication.

Eden, on the other hand, couldn't figure out why she was suddenly being so accommodating. Over and over, she kept drilling it into her head that Khan was at fault for her current predicament. He'd kidnapped her on her way home, for heaven's sake! One doesn't tend to display leniency towards their kidnapper, especially when witnessing how unforgiving and dangerous they could be.

But she couldn't find it in herself to keep, metaphorically speaking, rubbing it in his face. That he enjoyed her touch and would eventually have to relent all his prejudices towards humanity in order to keep gaining more of it. Even if he did starve her and manipulate her and kept her imprisoned and viewed her with disdain and indicate on numerous occasions that she were nothing more than a pet, Eden simply couldn't continue pursuing the subject after seeing that trapped confusion on his face. Plus, he hadn't lied about enjoying her touch, which of course hadn't been her original intention. Regardless, his honesty had to mean something, even if she didn't quite know what yet.

"You kidnapped me on impulse," Eden explained. "If I'm to believe that I was doomed from the moment you locked eyes on me, then I'm also assuming you were equally doomed. I don't know much about primality or whatever it is you and your people went through, but my presence here indicates that you didn't give yourself much time to think things over. Your primal urges, for lack of a better term, demanded I be kidnapped, so you followed because it felt natural. But, you must have realized how impulsive you were because you ended up isolating me, save for the few times you ended up sharing your true identity. Then, you gave yourself an entire week to accept that I was a measly human. Which, don't worry, I don't consider an insult. I'm more disturbed at the prospect of knowing you want me."

He didn't bother masking his glare at this comment.

"However, here lies the snag in your plan. You're still doing things on impulse, partly because you never expected your body to react to a human's. You even said pets were normally of your own people. But I'm different and you haven't been doing a very good job of persuading me to submit. You expected me to be stupid, but I can hold a conversation with you. You expected me to break after you twisted my words, but I'm holding myself together in knowing that they are still _my_ words. You expected me to bend at learning you desire me, but my backbone is steel. You expected me to be desperate in my living conditions, but I'm still waiting for the moment you make your mistake. Because don't fool yourself into thinking that for one moment I want to be here."

She kept his gaze for a few good seconds after this statement, hoping to clarify this as fact. God forbid he continue believing himself to be noble in forcing such an unsanitary lifestyle upon her.

"For as much of an intellectual as you are, you must recognize that you're treading down an unmarked path in which there are no directions. Thus, everything you are doing is on impulse, making way for mistakes to form. One of which includes belittling me. I told you in the library that threats don't go well with flirtation. Well, neither do insults or violence or starvation. So...yes, Khan, I think you need to sort out your priorities because by now, I really hope you've picked up on the fact that I'm not weak. At least not in the traditional way. Physically, you outmatch me. And I'm sure you hold knowledge I could only hope to learn in the span of a hundred lifetimes. But at this very moment, it's not winning you any praise or admiration from me. In fact, I hate you. Very strongly. And if you wanted my submission, the only way I see you getting it now would be to force me."

Khan appraised her wordlessly, features impeccably vacant, as always. Which Eden was beginning to think actually signified he was pondering something. Though, she wouldn't think of this as fact yet. Khan was constantly unpredictable.

"You have given me much to consider."

"No I haven't," she determined, knowing how preposterous it was for Khan to alter his behavior towards her to something akin to decency. "You're either going to treat me the same way you do now or attempt to play nice in hopes that I fall for it."

The man blinked a few times, and Eden knew this meant something as well, but she was too put out to wonder what.

"That is a possibility," he admitted. "How would you guess it is impulse that guides me and not a pre-conceived plan?"

"Impulsive people recognize each other," she pointed out. "Which is what makes friendships so interesting. I recognize your last second decisions because I'm a teenager and impulsion is almost a way of life. Though, my mother could argue I've been this way since I was born."

"You don't appear to be led by it now."

"I'm suppressing it because there's something far stronger I'm depending on than impulse."

It took him half a second before figuring it out.

"Survival."

"Just because I've adapted to my living conditions doesn't mean it's easy to survive them. And combined with the energy it takes to convince you that you're not right, I honestly should be dead right now."

"Dramatics are unflattering."

"And my purpose isn't-."

"-yes, yes. To make yourself appear attractive," Khan finished in annoyance.

"I think we're actually getting somewhere," she said, shifting back to sitting on her butt, arms wrapped around her knees. "Or that could just be my imagination. Tell me, did any of my grievances get through to you? Or did I have a better chance at persuading a brick wall?"

"My listening skills are being compared to a brick wall?"

"You both hurt upon punching and neither of your features are able to be deciphered. The resemblance is uncanny," she shrugged.

"Who knew you could be such an amusing pet?"

"I couldn't tell because you're not smiling."

"Just because I do not smile doesn't mean I do not find something entertaining. Constantly revealing emotion in response to what one feels is a deplorable weakness."

"Not physically revealing emotion based on what one feels is a means of regret any person could carry to their graves."

"A human could carry," he specified in distaste.

"Any species," she argued.

"Is rearranging my every word, necessary?"

"They sound better the way I arrange them."

"Clearly, the heat is getting to you."

Eden readied herself to slingshot an insult back when she realized with a startle that Khan's purpose wasn't to insult. The upwards curve of his lip, combined with a smirk, and glued together by something she had no idea even where to begin deciphering, but made the darkness in his eyes just a tad bit more hospitable, alerted her to this fact.

But, she didn't and wouldn't invest her thoughts into wondering why he decided to tease her rather than insult. Like she mentioned prior, Khan was unpredictable.

Just as well, he seemed to pick up instantly on her hesitation.

"You will be a challenge," he observed. "One that I am running out of time to accept."

"Let me go and consider postponing this meeting to a later date."

"Hardly an option. You will surround yourself by military men with guns in hopes of feeling secure. I will then be forced to slaughter them all."

"I'm very glad I don't have your sense of humor."

He shot her such an intensely dark, savage look that Eden shivered despite her humid surroundings.

"You weren't kidding."

"Not in the slightest."

Deciding to not pursue this topic of thought, Eden asked, "What is it that you're going to do that will divert your attentions from this game?"

"Nothing you will understand."

Her patience unexpectedly snapped in two. Though it was an internal surprise and compliment to herself that it had lasted this long to begin with.

With a disgruntled groan, she allowed gravity to do what it did best and send her falling backwards.

Now that she was on her back, arms splayed, legs straightened out, she could stare at something that didn't want to make her stab herself repeatedly: the moldy, discolored ceiling.

Somewhat dizzily, she realized a large source of her frustration laid in the fact that no matter how valiantly she fought to make him understand, Khan couldn't see her as something other than a pet. She shouldn't have cared, but this was her life he was playing with. A life she had a feeling might be disrupted even further by being in his presence.

Minutes passed by of unabated silence and Eden was almost sure Khan had snuck back up the stairs already. On top of being unpredictable, he was impressively stealthy.

"If I inform you of what I plan to carry out, you will hate me even further than you already do."

"I highly doubt that's possible."

"In this case, you are wrong."

She waited a few seconds before responding, sensing the seriousness of his statement.

"Why do you care about how deep my hate extends?"

"It will need to be lessened if I am to ever have you as I intend."

"You mean fuck me," she elaborated, feeling repulsed by his revelation.

"Yes."

Eden only realized when she felt her lips quivering, that she was barely resisting the urge to cry. Cry at the unfairness and senselessness of it all. Of keeping up with this highly sophisticated psychopath and his wishy washy emotions. Which she knew was just the teenage part of her making her feelings known. Up to this point, she'd been as tough and as resourceful as she could be to keep herself alive. Attempting to become the adult in this unforeseen situation.

But now, teenage Eden was at the control panel of her emotions. And her index finger kept hitting the 'release tears' button, overwhelmed by the will and courage it took to be a grown up.

Which was the tough part about being nineteen years old, she thought. Being stuck between maturity and youth. Knowing when to step up and be strong or to give up and have yourself a nice cry. At nineteen, it seemed as if the line between the two blurred together into an unrecognizable zig zag.

"What are you doing?"

Khan stood above her, staring down blankly. Combined with the fact that he had to ask the question in the first place, Eden didn't think she'd ever seen him look so blatantly inhuman.

"Crying, I think," she informed as steadily as she could, fingers dabbing at the moistness gathered around her eyes.

"It is repulsive."

She giggled despite the sobs. "Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"I know," Eden assured, hoping the words would escape before her throat tightened up. "But it's better than keeping it in. And a nifty reminder as to why I hate you so damn much. Seriously, flirting is _not_ your forte."

If she would have been able to make out through blurry eyes, his deep scowl as he stalked up the stairs, Eden was sure her next few hours of teary catharcism might have been a bit more enjoyable.

* * *

**Complicated bunch, aren't they? Let's hope Eden pulls through and finds an equilibrium of sorts in herself. But at least she can rest assured that she was right in the end, somewhat. Khan needs to be nice to her to get her compliance. Though, she isn't his only focus. He's still got some revenge to dish out. Won't be for a few more chapters yet, but it is coming. Let me know your thoughts in a review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait. I work a full time job that makes me want to crawl into a hole and sleep forever when I get home. I'll try to get a chapter out a week, maybe two if I'm content with what I've written. Thank you, once more, for your amazing reviews and response to this story. In hearing what you have to say, I get inspired by ideas and also think of where to steer the story. Everyone has so many expectations for it, some wanting only the sexual intimidation while others are sustained by the battle of minds that goes on. I'm attempting to balance these two out so that's what you can expect for now. Again, thank you all very much and enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter 4**

What Eden enjoyed most about sleep, other than the opportunity to dress in comfortable pajama wear, was the chance to completely reboot. Everything from spent and unruly emotions to crippling exhaustion could be soothed and stabilized with a few proper hours of rest.

She didn't know how many hours had passed since her emotional outburst upon waking wearily to her surroundings, but it was enough to make her feel nearly rejuvenated. Baptismal, even, if she wanted to get biblical. The teeter tottering her psyche had done when deciding how to handle her situation, seemed to have finally balanced back out, adapted to shift only if she allowed it. A great discovery as Eden very much prided herself in being able to control at least what she felt when everything else seemed to be out of her reach.

Just as well, the frustration she felt at her kidnapper, lessened considerably, though this took a bit more willpower to maintain. While fury aided her from submission, it also exhausted an excruciating amount of energy both physically and mentally. She couldn't recall the last time she'd ever had such a response to an individual, but she wanted to practice caution in how often she lost her ability to be reasonable in his presence.

All of this contributed to the passive state Khan found her in not even a full hour later.

"What a relief it is to not see you blubbering."

She didn't respond, eyes staring without purpose into the dark. There was only one bulb illuminating a depressingly thin amount of yellow light in the basement, and for the most part, Eden tried to keep herself beneath it.

However, the consuming black tap dancing around that circle of light was sometimes comforting to study if only to gather her thoughts and ignore her captor.

"I'd have thought you'd make another attempt at persuading me to treat you nicely."

His tone was prying and Eden internally felt glad knowing she could still keep him guessing with what she was feeling.

"You won't take it seriously," she reasoned. "Plus, I don't feel like going in circles. I've said what I wanted to. Your reaction to what I said, proves that you won't be listening to me anytime soon. Disappointing, but I expected as much."

She sensed his approach behind her and if the hairs on the back of her neck weren't slicked down already by sweat, they would have stood to full attention.

He didn't say anything, but she could practically feel the sear of his gaze drifting over her flesh.

It was always the silence that bothered her when it came to being in Khan's presence. Before all this, she'd been an individual who enjoyed the lack of constant noise for its simplicity, especially in such a technological world that thrived around her and roared in her ears constantly. Every now and again, it was nice to be able to hear yourself think.

But Khan ruined that relief because his own energy so heavily influenced the air around him, making her feel itchy and unfocused.

Right now, she didn't feel very comfortable in her own skin.

"Books are a credible source of knowledge. Why did your mother believe rhyme themed ones were not worth your time?"

Eden was infinitely thankful Khan couldn't see her face at that moment because it enveloped a stark naked surprise he undoubtedly would find pleasure in having ushered out.

She cleared her throat, pushing away her initial shock to the question.

"Is this the part where you try to be the nice guy and get me to open up?"

"Can I not ask out of curiosity?"

"You are dangerous when you're curious. And everything you do has an ulterior motive."

"Then tell me what my motive could possibly be in knowing this information."

"I don't know now," she admitted, internally applauding his sneakiness. "And that's why it's so dangerous. Because in the long run, it'll catch up. You're smart enough to eventually use it against me."

Khan didn't reply and Eden hoped he'd just leave the conversation at that. God forbid her mother made her way into an already rocky conversation.

"Then explain to me the plot of the book you had with you in the library. Dr. Seuss, you called the author."

She restrained the urge to crane her neck around and look at him. Really, what was getting into the guy?

"You're not serious."

"I assure you I am."

"No," she finally said. "I'm not going to do that."

"What a shame," Khan mentioned above her. "My curiosity was genuine. What possible plot could exist on the cover of a book showcasing an appallingly green creature riding a self powered ship, coveting useless boxes?"

Eden bit down on the insides of her cheeks to keep back an explosive laugh. An honest one at that.

"I don't think you would have gotten the moral of the story at the end," she carefully explained, evening her tone. "The main character grows a heart."

"You think me incapable of having one?"

"It might be there physically," she guessed. "Other than that, I doubt it serves a purpose."

"You are rather negative this evening, aren't you?"

"I prefer realistic. You are insane, after all."

"Realistic? Let us confirm that theory," Khan decided. "Stand up."

Instinctively, Eden wanted to ignore him. It would have been a nice victory for her dignity.

But Khan knew her better by now - an uneasy realization. He knew what to do and say in order to gain her compliance.

"Stand or I will make you. And I assure the latter will be far more pleasurable for me than you."

His voice sounded so uncompromised that Eden almost mistaked it for reason.

"Fine," she grumbled in defeat, moving to her feet. "But I'm only doing this because I don't want you touching me."

Alas, her dignity knew better and apparently, so did Khan because upon turning to look at him on slightly wobbly feet, she witnessed an uncanny confidence radiating from him, assuring her that she'd gained no victory in her little speech.

"Of course," Khan responded indulgently, eyes soaking in each flex the muscles beneath her skin made. "Luckily, this next demonstration will require me to be a gentleman and keep my hands to myself."

"You consider yourself a gentleman?" Eden questioned wearily.

"It was an attempt at humor."

"That's unsettling."

His smirk momentarily slipped upwards into a faint resemblance of a smile before neutralizing once more.

"I did say it was an attempt."

She could feel his eyes roaming over her like a scientist observing a curious specimen, but to save herself the hassle of attempting to decipher his intentions, she flicked her gaze down to his chest.

It took seconds of staring for her to comprehend he was wearing a simple, cotton gray t-shirt that hugged his lean frame comfortably. Almost on their own accord, her eyes continued downward, her confusion growing at seeing charcoal black jeans covering his legs. Because his disdain for humanity was so clear, Eden had thought he'd be wearing something a little more...his species.

At the last minute, however, she understood, or at least thought she did, why he dressed in such a human manner. He was attempting to blend in.

"Raise your arm."

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. If she did as he commanded, her finger tips would be able to brush his torso. And touching Khan more than what was necessary, certainly didn't sit well with her.

Then again, what other choice did she have?

"Does it matter which one?" she asked, attempting to waste time.

"Since you were insistent on using your right to comb through my hair, I would suggest that one."

Fighting the urge to scowl at the smug answer, Eden cautiously lifted her right hand before her, hand fisted tightly so there could be a comfortable two inches resting between her flesh and his shirt.

"Good. Now open your fist so that your palm faces my chest."

Reluctantly, she complied, fingers stretching in opposite directions, being careful to not accidentally brush his frame.

"Look at me."

"Why?" she argued, eyes glued to her outstretched hand as the temperature around her rose.

"Because I want to see you."

It was such a simple answer that Eden instantly felt compelled to do it despite the anxiety roaring in her insides.

Cautiously, she glanced up.

Unsurprisingly, his face was barren of any emotion.

And yet, Eden couldn't tear away her eyes even if she'd wanted to. Something so engaging it bordered on unsettling, kept her from looking at anything else but him.

"Take one step forward and press your hand to my chest," he demanded coolly, bright eyes burning into her.

"Why?" she repeated stubbornly.

"Because I want you to."

"And what will that achieve?"

"A point I wish to prove. Now quit stalling and do as I say."

"Is the word 'please' even in your vocabulary?"

He appeared to debate his next response. Something that impressed Eden because she was quite aware of all that he was capable of doing to her because of her disobedience.

Then again, she needed to push away her fear and maintain a sense of self. So far, that appeared to be the only thing keeping her alive mentally and physically.

"You forget yourself," he reminded. "When it comes to your species, my manners aren't required."

"That's certainly working out well in getting me to submit, isn't it?" she pointed out.

"I refuse to believe my lack of kindness to you plays such a large role in your defiance."

His words were like a sledgehammer to the heart.

"You honestly expect you can be a rude, arrogant, violent, manipulative bastard and still get my consent? This isn't the 21st century! Unless I was intoxicated, maybe you'd be able to get in a good fondle. Otherwise, good luck getting what you want from your pet."

After she released her statement, her arm dropped, muscles strained at having to keep it up.

"Lift up your arm," he repeated darkly, jaw tightened dangerously.

Though the anger appeared to be brimming just beneath Khan's tone, Eden kept her arm beside her, meeting his glare with one of her own. The threat of violence seemed miles away and all that mattered now was retaining some sort of preservation in the face of her captor. If she did everything he said whenever he wanted it, she truly would be a pet in the sickest of sense. And that was enough initiative to refuse his command.

The silence grew spicy again and Eden swore she could feel sweat droplets form and crawl down her back.

"_Please._"

Eden hid her surprise and rose her arm to its former position. Granted, Khan had growled the request through gritted teeth, lips nearly morphed into a snarl, but the fact that he said it in the first place, no matter how reluctantly, relieved her. It could be possible that he actually didn't ignore everything she said. Plus, she had to make it known that if he showed decency towards her, she would be far less conflicted in complying.

Her satisfaction increased ever so slightly at seeing Khan's eyebrows descend down, as if he were puzzled that his manners elicited a reasonable response for once.

With her palm only an inch away from his chest, Eden tried running through all of the scenarios in her head that might help her determine Khan's intention. The worst one included him suddenly pulling out a chainsaw and severing her arm in half.

"Take one step forward and press your hand to my chest," Khan repeated, unperturbed and calm once more.

Fighting back her anxiety, she took a tense inhale before hesitantly stepping forward, palm ever so leisurely pressing firmly into his cool t-shirt.

Upon contact, her eyes drifted down, nerves laced with curiosity. She couldn't determine just exactly what his point was.

"What do you feel?"

It took a stunning two minutes before Eden connected his question with what her palm rested over. Needless to say, the revelation wasn't one she accepted happily.

"Your heart."

"Do you feel it beating?"

The more aware of it she became, the harder it seemed to throb against her skin.

"Yes," she reluctantly acknowledged.

"It would suffice to say it exists?"

"A touch is hardly an accurate measurement of existence. I can't touch oxygen, but I know it is there," she argued, frustrated that he'd cornered her into this situation.

"For obvious reasons, I cannot dissect myself to prove its existence. But you know it is there, yes?"

It would have been stupid for her to continue pretending it wasn't.

"Yes, yes! It's there!" she exclaimed in irritation. "Congratulations, you have a heart!"

"Your enthusiasm surpasses even mine," he smirked. "Would you mind repeating yourself one more time?"

That was the last she could deal with his arrogant sarcasm.

With an annoyed growl, Eden pulled her hand away as if she'd been burned, scowling at him.

"That was self serving."

Khan appeared on the verge of wanting to smile, studying her with a tilt of the head, eyes shining.

"I enjoy watching you squirm. It is a nice prelude to what you will look like in my bed."

Eden stepped back before she did something she regretted. Like attempting to punch his satisfied face in.

Unfortunately, or perhaps due to the exciting heat of their banter, Khan followed the step, eyes practically on fire.

"Stop looking at me like that," she objected, feet peddling back cautiously.

"Cease your retreating and I will."

She didn't feel very convinced he'd do as he said, and thus continued her movements toward the dark.

"I am applying you a fair warning," Khan explained, voice elevating down a few octaves. "Stop running or I _will_ pursue."

His words were honest and she immediately felt stupid for not having realized that everything from his predatory expression to dark promise, resembled the primality he'd warned her of two days ago when playing with her hair.

It took a lot of courage to keep her feet planted to the ground and not let Khan's intense eyes intimidate her. It was like running away from a tornado and then all of a sudden, turning around, stopping in place, and letting it slam into you.

"What are you doing?" she murmured cautiously.

In response to her question, she was suddenly enveloped in one of the strangest hugs (if she could even call it such) ever by the tall man before her.

One of his white arms snagged around her back like rope. Rather than pulling her forward, he initiated the last remaining steps until their bodies were pressed tightly and intimately against each others. Though it may have appeared from a distance like he was hugging her, Eden remotely thought his arm was to keep her from distancing herself again rather than to offer comfort. Just as well, the hugs she'd received up to that point in her life certainly didn't consist of an individual burying their face into one side of her neck while another hand wove into her hair, keeping it in a non-painful, yet firm grip.

"Um...Khan," she spoke nervously, suddenly feeling very much vulnerable. Yet again, this primal Khan was making an appearance and she couldn't for the life of her predict what emotion or action he'd indulge in next.

He inhaled suddenly, both arms tugging her further into his body until Eden felt dazed. Not just from the contact, but the indescribable heat caught between their meeting of flesh.

"I'm human," she tried to dissuade, knowing this usually worked in getting him to think clearly.

This time, however, he appeared not to care.

"Yes, you are," he mumbled lowly into her ear. "You are _my_ soft, human pet."

She knew she wasn't in any danger physically, but mentally, his words were messing around with her head. Yes, he'd once again referred to her as a pet, but the pleasure in which he phrased it, suddenly didn't it make it seem so bad. In fact, the awkward contact almost felt comforting in a way she couldn't properly explain.

When this realization hit her, Eden's body panicked.

"Keep still," he warned, arm tightening when she tried to pull away.

"How much longer is this going to last?" she shot back.

"Until my body calms," he answered easily. "While this contact was unplanned, it saved you from what I originally wished to do-."

Her shivers couldn't be prevented at this comment, suddenly glad she hadn't continued retreating.

"-perhaps my instincts do not react kindly to your attempts at running from me."

He almost sounded inquisitive, as if he were discovering this for the first time.

"Kidnapping me didn't alert you to this fact?"

She didn't voice this snappily, but rather wearily. This was just getting to be far too weird way too fast.

"This contact really displeases you so much?"

"I hate you," she reminded.

"An unnecessary mantra to keep repeating to yourself. Emotional and mental attachment does not play an important role in most of your people's relationships. My initial question is to know whether this contact gives you physical comfort."

Eden sighed, understanding that playing coy here wouldn't make her situation any better.

"It feels alright."

"Alright?" he mumbled. "Your vocabulary is expansive. Use it."

She ignored the fact that she might have just been complimented.

"Your arms feel safe."

It was all she could come up with. All her dignity would allow her to.

"This is pleasing to hear."

Again, he didn't sound like his normal, manipulative, cold self. He almost sounded...content.

Hoping to ruin the moment, Eden asked, "Why was it important for you to prove that you had a heart when you don't even use it?"

He paused before deciding on an answer, arms loosening every so slightly.

"Because your submission is important to me. I will do what I can to ease your suspicion and hate. You've made it clear that I will not be gaining anything if I am to continue my treatment of you. The experiment was purely for your benefit."

"I think it was to prove you were right. Again."

"I even said please," he reminded. "Though, it puzzles me that this was all it took to get your compliance."

"It would. You may be smart, but there is still so much you don't understand."

"Don't doubt my ability to learn quickly."

With that, he released her, the loss of his cold body making her immediately wish to step forward and reclaim it again.

However, Eden prevailed and kept her distance this time by taking a big step backwards, hoping the action wouldn't elicit his previous actions.

"It has been two days since you've eaten, correct?"

Just like that, he was indifferent again. And under control.

"Yes."

"Follow me," he gestured, moving to the stairs. "I have food set out, but I don't know your preference."

She studied him with an open mouth while he looked mildly annoyed.

"You're actually going to feed me? Proper food? In a place other than this basement?" she gathered.

"Your comprehension skills are lacking. Follow me or I will change my mind."

Eden blurted, "You're not going to. You're partly beginning to understand that you have to keep me sated in order for me to respond. Just like I did when you said 'please'."

"I may not change my mind," he admitted. "But who's to say I may not attempt to feed you by hand? If your retreat caused me to pursue so aggressively, I can only imagine what having my fingers in your mouth may do."

Her face lost color so quickly that Khan didn't bother holding back his smile, clearly enjoying toying with her.

"Come, pet."

She followed after him before he decided he wanted to make another point.

* * *

**I was reading the criticism Star Trek: Into Darkness received and stumbled upon a bit of knowledge that kind of made me laugh and smile. Apparently there's a scene they had to delete from the final version of the movie where it shows Khan showering (after his capture, I'm assuming). I'm not sure as to why this would be an important scene in the film (perhaps that's why they cut it) and it makes me laugh to know that it was shot in the first place (what did they tell Cumberbatch as they were filming it). But I also can't help but smile because it's a nice thought and maybe once it's released on DVD, that might make it to the deleted scenes. I definitely wouldn't mind my own peak. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A few things to note before I get to the thanking. Firstly, some of you have been curious as to Eden's shower habits. I'll tell you straight up that they have been non-existant since being kidnapped and that I haven't forgotten about them. I wanted a bit of familiarity and relaxation to develop between Eden and Khan before she asks about the state of her own hygiene. Something I didn't think would be ready yet in the first few chapters since they were still hostile towards each other. Now that Khan may or may not be making an attempt at keeping her somewhat happy, the issue will be mentioned. Not taking a shower in over a week isn't something to take lightly, though I guess it should be touching that Khan still wants her even though she's dirty. Though, I don't think he'd be the type to care one way or the other. Speaking of showers, thank you to all those who told me I can actually look up the scene of Khan showering, on youtube. I did and let's just say that my laughter echoed throughout the entire house. He looks so horribly uncomfortable and with the dramatic music playing, I not only couldn't take it seriously, but actually felt bad for the poor guy, despite my giggles. I watched it on Conan and adored how he reinvented the scene by throwing in sexy porn music instead of the orchestra. Brilliant and definitely an improvement. Cumberbatch has a lovely chest, so that's a plus too. Also, thank you to AdorkableAud who cracked me up by suggesting that they told Cumberbatch during that scene that they'd burn all his favorite socks, thus being the reason why he looked so intense under the shower. I lol'd a lung out. As most of you noticed, you can't tell what Khan's purpose is even if it seems obvious. He's unpredictable and that's what makes him dangerous, as Eden personally knows. Thank you all so, so, so, so very much for your kind reviews. It's exhilarating to write for you since you're a fantastic and nurturing bunch of readers. I hope you enjoy the odd plot I have at work!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Khan watched her expectantly from the kitchen table. He didn't respond to her outburst, but he had to have known she'd say something the moment they ventured upstairs. Which was most likely the reason why he arranged his expression to remain so neutral.

"You're really not going to say anything about it?" she pestered.

"What is there to say?" he replied, far too casually.

Eden stalked forward, faintly relieved a table separated them. Granted, she wouldn't be able to do much against the man, but that didn't mean the urge to throttle him didn't exist.

"This house," she evenly pointed out, gesturing with a hand around her, "is at room temperature. Actually, it's _lower_ than room temperature. Don't think I can't see the electrical thermometer behind you reading sixty-four degrees!"

"Your point being?" he addressed nonchalantly.

Eden felt herself get even more riled up, cursing her own stupidity for not having taken into account that physical games like these weren't beneath him.

"The basement was an oven! You turned up the heat down there on purpose!"

The man didn't admit nor deny this statement, but Eden's rapid decrease in temperature proved she was undoubtedly right. The moment her bare feet fled the heavy, muggy heat of the basement, she'd been hit with a wall of such pleasantly cold air that for a moment, she thought maybe he'd led her outside.

This wasn't the case, however. The mahogany, dusty table sitting in preserved desertion within a cramped kitchen, alerted her that not only was she very much still inside, but the basement she'd been contained to for over a week, happened to be the only inhospitable room in the entire house.

"Why did you let me roast down there? I thought you wanted me alive."

Again, Khan didn't answer. And his reluctance to do so forced Eden to calm herself down, knowing nothing could be done or understood in a belligerent mindset. Even if she felt like pummeling the man repeatedly.

Inhaling deeply and almost sighing in content as the fresh, cool air made its way into her lungs, Eden inched towards him, attempting to deduce his logic. Which was like searching for a fish in the deserts of New Sahara.

"Duh," she mumbled a moment later. "Oh...of course. That's smart. But it didn't work, did it?"

"It is far too soon to be smug," he noted with a hint of defensiveness. "You are going back down there after you finish eating."

"But that hardly matters," she proclaimed, careful to not physically show her growing triumph. "Now that I know why you kept the basement temperature unreasonably higher than the rest of the house, I know I can survive the rest of my stay down there."

For a moment, he watched her wordlessly, unsure what to respond with.

"High tolerance to your environment was...unanticipated."

"No," she shook her head. "You underestimated my species. Again. We are adaptable, Khan. Sometimes, at a moment's notice. Once we discipline ourselves mentally, our physical needs come second. The basement was ungodly hot and you counted on me to remove my clothes, thus gaining the upper hand psychologically and perhaps physically should you have attempted something. But you forget that I have at least a shred of dignity and I don't swoon at the sight of a handsome man, who is a complete bastard, by the way. Once I adjusted to the heat, my clothes weren't going anywhere."

Whatever upper hand he'd left the basement in, appeared to have vanished in the wake of her discovery. And while Eden knew it was dangerous to get too confident around him, it didn't change the fact that she felt infinitely proud at having figured out just another one of his mind games.

"Now," she declared with a relaxed sigh, "we can eat."

He only continued staring tensely at her without comment.

"Are you really so worked up about this that you're changing your mind about feeding me?" she prodded, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"I am...conflicted."

His smooth, baritone voice hardly indicated this.

"Regarding?"

"Two distinct urges. One, to strangle the very life from your eyes."

"That's not awfully shocking. You don't like your intentions being discovered without your consent."

She voiced this boredly because to do so in fear would have possibly sent the power back in his direction.

"Do you really not take my threats seriously?"

"If you killed me, I wouldn't be heart broken over it. Actually, I'd be dead and away from you and your wishy washy behavior. And any further violence you use against me only sets you back further from your goal of gaining my submission. I never thought I'd say this, but do your worst. Because for once, there's actually going to be consequences for your actions."

His ruthless appraisal of her made Eden want to edge backwards to the basement. Even that environment was safer than the energy crackling in the breezy air, emitting from the man.

But after the hugging incident, she couldn't be sure how her retreat would be taken. Would he pursue her as he had threatened or simply let her be? More to the point, was it possible for her to obtain some sort of guide regarding what actions and comments triggered his primal instincts?

She knew the latter was asking for too much. As she was constantly reminded, Khan was unpredictable. Especially when she considered the fact that he might be just as much in the dark when it came to his triggers as she was. He'd already told her that his reaction was unforeseen and in discovering that his body didn't like it when she tried to flee, he'd almost sounded surprised. On top of that, at least according to his words, he'd never laid claim to a pet before. It was very well possible that when she'd called him impulsive, she might have been partially correct.

And again, Eden had to wonder where her accommodating nature was sprouting from. Khan had been fully content in watching her humiliate herself in the humid basement just so he could gain the upper hand. The last thing she should be doing was attempting to see things from his point of view.

Unfortunately, at this point, she couldn't help it. While his hug had terrified her, the almost uncertainty at which he discovered his own reactions to her, fascinated her in a terrible way. Terrible because she was fascinated in seeing someone with such superior intelligence and physical endurance, become at the end of the day, nothing more than animalistic, primal man. Just as well, being in Khan's presence showed her glimpses of a person she wasn't even sure he was aware existed. A person not as lethal or deadly as he made himself out to be. Though, that could just be misinterpretation on her part. Studying a person doesn't guarantee understanding them.

When she realized silence had muffled her voice, Eden crossed her arms, swallowing past her anxiety.

"So...what's your other urge?"

"What other urge?"

"You said you were conflicted between two of them," Eden helpfully reminded, hoping to stabilize the atmosphere between them. "One was violence, go figure. What was the other?"

He eyed her for only a second before commenting tightly, "You would have preferred the violence."

"As in...it was going to be sexual?" she surmised shakily.

"Drop the matter," he commanded firmly. "You are up here to eat. Nothing more."

"Okay. That's fine. Let's see what you've got."

/./././././././././

Eden ate in perpetual silence, nibbling greedily at the greasy burger that could rival the current state of her black hair. While on most occasions, she wasn't a fast food lover, in realizing Khan had supplied her with this feast of fattiness, she found herself pigging out like it was the last supper.

It was ludicrous of her to assume he'd cook something and honestly, she thought maybe two pieces of bread rather than one might be her exciting sustenance.

However, Khan went all out, though she doubted he knew he did.

He'd set down five white, wrinkled bags before her, each holding a different meal item inside from different restaurants. Since greasy food was constantly inexpensive, especially in the seedy area they resided, she didn't think it took much of an effort to get what he did. What surprised her, however, was his consideration for the different tastes she might have.

Bag number one held six fried chicken tenders. Embarrassingly enough, she consumed them all within three minutes. The salty, crispy smell alone nearly made her salivate.

Bag number two had been scarfed down just as quickly, but left a slight burn on her tongue from the spicy Habanero sauce used in the four tacos stuffed with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, slightly burnt beef, and a mountain of shredded lettuce.

By the time she opened bag number three, Eden felt disgusted for ingesting everything that she had. But to counteract this negativity, she reminded herself of the individual responsible for her ravenous hunger. He starved her first. The last thing she needed was to feel self conscious because she was finally eating a reasonable meal.

This understanding got her to chug through four mini fried turkey sandwiches. Delicious, every single one of them, to the last greasy drop.

The hamburger she was currently working on, was part of bag number four. Five of them had been stuffed inside and number three was clenched in between her fingers, being eyed thoughtfully rather than thrown into her mouth like its predecessor.

"It's too late to wonder if you've poisoned these, isn't it?" she mentioned.

"They are poisoned enough as they are," he answered in disdain from his seat across from her.

Needless to say, Khan watched her vacuum everything down with a look of such disgust that it almost made her laugh and cry at the same time.

But, she knew this wouldn't be appreciated.

"The richer part of most cities use an ingredient in their fast food different from the poorer regions. Gracili, I think they call it. It allows you to burn off most of the fat before it stores in your system. So now not only is fast food affordable, but it's not so dangerous to eat," she informed, studying the meat.

"Why does the entire city not use this ingredient?" he questioned.

"It's expensive. To be able to eat and not gain the fat is a recent trend that private marketers have capitalized on and made an insurmountable fortune off of. But only the elite chains can afford the ingredient. Also, not all chains are so ready to give up their greasy ways. I mean some of the places have been following the same recipes since the 20th century. So, in the richer sections of any city that have fast food places, you'll find that the prices are higher for the products because they have gracili in them. In poorer areas with the same chain, products are practically inexpensive, but dangerous to your health if eaten repeatedly. Just another reminder that there still exists a gap between us."

With that, she bit into the hamburger, carnivously satisfied with the taste.

"To which social class do you identify yourself with?"

She tore her gaze away from the burger when she heard the subtle curiosity in his voice.

"Um...isn't it obvious?"

His stare was empty. "No."

Internally baffled, Eden glanced down at her clothes. She was sure he'd been able to pick out the loose stitchings in her tan cargo pants and faded indigo of her t-shirt.

"I'm not dirt poor," she confessed. "But I'm not rich, either. I identified myself, if it ever came to it, to the lower class. Most of the items in my closet at home are retail or generational hand me downs. Which get me a few strange looks every now and then. I'm able to last a month with one trip to the grocery store. And going to the library is usually what I do for fun. Intergalactic cable was getting to be too expensive, so I dropped it. And I usually walk everywhere instead of hailing a taxi."

She didn't know what to make of his increasingly puzzled expression. And for a frightful second, Eden wondered if parts of her mother might be shining through her. The woman, in her own air of righteousness, had attempted to teach her proper etiquette at a young age and to prepare for a lavished lifestyle because she herself had never been without money and expected the same of her daughter.

Eden, repelled by the lifestyle spoken of, rebelled heftily against these words, assuring the woman who birthed her that she didn't need money or success to be happy. But her mother had always been insistent in her beliefs, claiming that to live so commonly would only rob her of what she was entitled to, despite marrying her father who was prone to taking jobs that didn't always pay well.

As deplorable as her mother's beliefs were, she knew they were meant to be compliments. And because of the affectionate, albeit stern way her mother would voice them, Eden couldn't exactly hold it against her in the long run, even if it annoyed the heck out of her on most occasions.

"Your lifestyle surprises me," Khan finally admitted.

At her blank gaze, he elaborated.

"You are sophisticated compared to every other human I've come across. Trivial pursuits and material possessions do not dissuade you from a goal. You understand that your mind is your only sound form of logic and information. Physical urges and fleeting infatuations are beneath you. By far, your _entire_ style of living is beneath you. There exist individuals in the highest ranking positions this pathetic planet has to offer, who couldn't maintain an intelligent conversation if their lives depended on it. Fueled by petty vengeance and power and war. You could easily manage any of their positions, deservingly. And yet, you identify and live the life of a common human. This surprises me."

Holding her breath, Eden attempted to decipher the sincerity of Khan's praise. Because in no means did he bother hiding that it was. However, the last time he'd complimented her, it'd been entirely insincere and only a means of getting her to comply with him.

Moreover, his keen observations had stirred loose a memory.

As a child, she'd moved frequently and without direction, across the United States. Wherever her father could sustain a well paying job and her mother didn't infuriate most of the town with her elitist attitude. Her longest residential stay had been in a mid-west town called Riverside, approximately two hours east of Des Moines. The rural setting had been one of her favorite places to live from for the short year she'd been there as an eleven year old, especially because she'd had an undying crush on her older, teenaged neighbor.

While the crush is beside the point, her neighbor wasn't. The guy had been a reluctant, albeit a bit reckless, genius and one day, he called her out on being one too. Much of the same way Khan had just done.

Up to this point, she thought their friendship had been one sided. Longingful glances, attempts at awkward conversation, the occasional peek at his shirtless form on a particularly stuffy day. Just your average unrequited affections. Plus, he was eighteen and she'd been eleven. No matter how dating had expanded with the introduction of new species, an age gap was still an age gap.

On one particularly beautiful evening, she gained the courage to offer him a spot on her blanket so they could study the expansive night sky above them. Her parents had been engaged in a screaming match all day so the escape from the house had been a gratifying relief.

To her complete surprise, he agreed, though she later found out it'd been because he hated hearing his mom having sex with step-father number three.

So, they'd laid side by side, his arm hair tickling her skin, staring at the stars above them. It was summer and the breeze brought with it the scent of wheat, freshly mowed grass, and backyard bonfires.

Initially, it started out with him pointing out all of the various constellations. He knew nearly every one like the back of his hand and the galaxies that could be found in each constellation, speaking almost as if he'd visited them himself. She studied his index finger moving erratically above her with glowing green eyes, internally pleased at just hearing his voice.

But then he'd come across one constellation he couldn't recall. Eden had known each constellation herself prior to her neighbor pointing them all out, but she stayed quiet to hear the sound of his voice and appreciate the nearness she knew she'd never have again.

Until the silence finally caused her to break.

_"Cygnus."_

_He immediately craned his head to look at her, but Eden kept her gaze up, knowing what his shade of eyes did to her insides._

_"How'd you know that? Are you cheating?"_

_Stifling a laugh, Eden explained, "My dad taught them to me when we lived in Denver City. He said if you're lost and are able to know the constellations in the night sky, you can always find your way back home."_

_"So...wait, you know them all?"_

_"Yes," she answered carefully. "But it's...nicer to hear you talk about them. Your voice turns passionate."_

_Her neighbor blinked a few times, eyes flicking back above them._

_"I've made out with girls who didn't know what a constellation was."_

_Pushing away her envy, Eden remarked, "I'll remind myself to keep my expectations low."_

_"Hey! The hell is that supposed to mean?" he laughed._

_"Guys don't care about intelligence," she countered, pleased to have engaged him with humor. "You make out with girls even though they're stupid. That's stupid in itself."_

_"Did you just insult me?"_

_"I don't know. Do you feel insulted?"_

_He released another laugh, lips quirking up._

_"I didn't know you regularly insulted your crushes."_

_Eden stilled as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the atmosphere._

_"There's nothing wrong with it," he assured, sensing her unresponsiveness. "I'm even flattered, considering you could do a lot better than me."_

_His comment both eased and confused her._

_"You think so?" she wondered._

_"Of course. I'll even prove it. What's that constellation?" __he pointed up suddenly, a hint of a challenge in his voice._

_"Sagittarius," she answered easily._

_"And that one?"_

_"Scorpius."_

_"That one?"_

_"Aquila."_

_"Above Scorpius?"_

_"Ophiuchus."_

_"Geez, even your pronunciation is better than mine. How about the one that looks like a parallelogram?"_

_"Lyra."_

_"The one that looks like-."_

_"Hercules," Eden confirmed happily._

_"Too easy. Hercules is always too easy. And you already got the one I couldn't figure out. This is not only proof that you can do better than me, but that you're a genius," he praised with satisfaction._

_Holding back a chuckle, Eden expressed, "Knowing constellations doesn't prove anything. Space is probably the most commonly studied subject at universities. The future of humanity is directly above us. Constellations are easy knowledge."_

_"You don't handle compliments well, do you?"_

_"Not when it's undeserved," she reasoned. "To be smart is to know something most people don't have the patience or perseverance to study."_

_"That's a fair point."_

_After a quiet moment, she nervously said, "You're smart."_

_"Really? That's not usually a trait people associate with me. At least not soberly."_

_He sounded genuinely surprised and this bothered Eden._

_"You're smart, James. Probably one of the smartest guys I've ever met. That and everything else that you are, will lead you somewhere great," she insisted, trying her hardest to get the proper words out of everything she'd seen in him from the past year. "The space above us is too big for you to not find your place."_

_There wasn't a response from him and Eden immediately feared she'd gotten too personal. Or maybe too sappy. Of course he'd feel awkward by her compliments. She was young and infatuated with him._

_But to her relief, he responded without judgment._

_"Thanks, Eden."_

_Her insides grew warm at realizing he actually remembered her name. And though it was a short response he'd voiced, she knew without proper evidence that the words were well appreciated. _

_"No problem."_

_Another comfortable silence passed by as the world continued to grow darker, the only beacon of light seeming to radiate from the eyes of the two individuals lying on the blanket._

_"My mom usually calls me James when she's mad," he suddenly revealed, taking a quick glance at her. "Are you mad at me?"_

_"Not at all," she answered smoothly. "I'm actually really happy because I just found out I can do better than you."_

_His carefree laugh made her forget reality for just a little while longer._

Her neighbor had taken off not even a full week later. This time for good, as evident by his mother's depressed state.

Eden had been equally disappointed he'd left, but internally, she knew the small town couldn't contain the potential he had and that wherever he was going, it was for the best. Just as well, it helped flush out the crush she'd had on him and view her taste of men in the years to come, in a completely new way.

Not even a full month later, she too packed up with her parents and headed to Carolina. And then to Pennsylvania. District of Florida. East Virginia. Boston Islands. Old New York. New New York. Hopped over the pond once, then back, then again. And a whole other string of destinations that were only memorable in name, but not in memory. At least not nearly to the degree that Riverside had been.

Now, as she replayed Khan's compliment, she couldn't help but be reminded of her childhood crush. How he'd been able to determine in just one full conversation, she was a genius. Granted, she hardly believed herself to be one. As she'd grown older, she disassociated herself with pursuing a financially secure career. Partly, to spite her mother and show that money wasn't everything and partly because no topic interested her enough to dedicate her entire life to. Outer space, at one point, completely blind sided her in its vast beauty and undiscovered potential for adventure, but she had a terrible fear of being sucked into the unforgiving, soundless vacuum and being left to float indefinitely.

So, she kept her priorities open, living off the paychecks wherever help was wanted, dedicating no substantial amount of time towards learning one subject. She sort of soaked it all in as she went along and learned that while space may be the new frontier, Earth was still desperately in need of direction and guidance in ways the politicians and ambassadors didn't quite know yet.

"I am assuming you are attempting to figure out the nature of my statement," Khan observed.

"It's easier to believe you're being insincere," she admitted.

"And if I was to tell you I wasn't?"

"I wouldn't believe you."

He narrowed his eyes in thought at this, reclining slightly in his chair, but still maintaining his ramrod straight posture.

"I now see where I've made my mistake in losing your trust."

"You regret kidnapping me?" she guessed hopefully.

"Not in the slightest," he assured, briefly smirking at her crestfallen face. "The breach in trust occurred afterward."

"Really?" Eden marveled. "Kidnapping me wasn't a breach in trust? Huh. That's weird."

"I would not have had to take you had you been more compliant."

"I would have been more compliant if you weren't so creepy in the first place!" she exclaimed. "Or maybe tried being honest."

"You would have willingly gone with me had I informed you that the moment I observed you in the library, I had the sadistic urge to fuck you like an animal?"

His question stunned her into silence, burger slipping from her fingers.

"I thought not," he proclaimed smugly. "This worked out for the best. And though you are smart to not trust me, if it is any consolation, my words were sincere."

She pondered this new development, unsure how to take it in.

"If your words were sincere, you wouldn't treat me like a pet."

"I've said 'please' and even stole this dinner for you. How much more sincerity do you need?"

Though he didn't sound exasperated, something told her her lack of gratefulness was wearing his patience thin. And that tickled her insides so much that she released a lengthy chuckle, glad to have no food in her throat lest she choked on it.

"_What?_"

Once her mirth had subsided, Eden took in the growing anger pinching his normally handsome features.

"An owner says 'please' to a pet when they want them to perform a trick," she divulged. "And they feed one whenever they feel fit. I don't think I've ever felt more like a pet in my life."

"I've never treated anyone of your species, this mercifully," he revealed. "You should be thankful."

"The day I'm thankful is the day you treat me like you would one of your own people," she suggested. "And since we both know that's never going to happen, I'm going to be having a difficult time trusting anything you say or do."

"By offering you a vast dinner, I had hoped to gain gratitude, not further mistrust."

"I know. If that is truthfully your purpose, thank you, I guess," she replied awkwardly, unsure as to why her thanks needed to be mentioned. By all means, this could be another ploy to toy with her trust.

And yet, she couldn't believe in this wholeheartedly. He'd offered her up options, damn it! In five separate bags! It was difficult to determine what exactly his intention was when he'd been needlessly thoughtful.

He didn't respond to her thanking him, so Eden calmly retreated the burger she'd dropped on her lap. She was quite sure this item would be her last. Only now was her stomach finally entering a stage of satisfaction.

She didn't know where the urge had come from (maybe his constant staring made it impossible for her to think logically), but before she took a bite, Eden paused.

"Do you want some?"

The offer was only an excuse to see how he'd react. Undoubtedly, he'd probably end his life before even thinking about swallowing a niblet of burger meat.

But she was trying to quell the abated silence and his blatant disgust with this sort of food, humored her to no end.

"I would rather swallow barbed wire."

Her grin couldn't be contained for the life of her.

"Suit yourself."

With that, she bit in, far more mindful now to eat slower and enjoy it.

Once the burger was nothing more than grease on her fingers, Eden leaned back in her chair, feeling more satisfied than she had in over a week.

"Your appetite is appalling."

She didn't even take it as an insult. That's how sated she was.

"I'd have eaten more gracefully had I been given more than just a piece of bread every three days," she pointed out. "But you are right. That was appalling. I could have made it last an entire week instead of thirty minutes.

"I will provide you with more to eat. You are normally accustomed to a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, correct?"

"I can forego the lunch."

"You need the extra mass."

Her lips quirked up despite herself. How was it that she finally met a man who didn't care if she wasn't stick thin, but he happened to be a complete psychopath?

"Are you calling me skinny?" she chided.

Seeing she was teasing him, Khan's severe features, lessened.

"I forget your species still obsesses needlessly over weight and image. It is a blessing you care little about either."

"That sounded like both a compliment and an insult. What should I take it as?"

"I would think that obvious."

"Not at all," she admitted. "And I would never imagine anything you say or do, is obvious. You're a puzzle."

"As are you," he returned.

"Compliment or insult?"

"Neither. Only an observation."

She didn't know when his gaze suddenly got heavier than it'd been previously, but she knew enough to turn away from it. It would be wise to keep her wits about her now that she'd been fed. Who knew what else he would do in hopes of gaining her trust? Even allowing him a gram could be potentially grave.

"Back to the basement, then?" she assumed, looking up at him.

"Only if you wish to return without the chance to clean yourself."

Her eyebrows rose in synch.

"I didn't even bother to ask," she admitted. "Before today, I thought you'd just leave me to decompose in the basement."

"It is getting to the point where your scent is being overwhelmed by oils and odors. I am sure it will be pleasing to cleanse yourself."

"Wait...I have a scent?"

"Naturally," he informed as if this was tedious information. "I inhaled you before I even knew your physical makeup."

This was news to her, but she kept back all questions for fear of him changing his mind.

Well, she did let one slip through. Because this was quite honestly, an interesting development.

"You are aware that my species normally showers once every day?"

"Unnecessary waste of water," he complained. "You could live a few days without constantly scrubbing at your skin. The longer you go without bathing, the more natural your scent becomes."

Her brain was struggling to pick up on something important he'd just said without saying.

"When I shower," she gathered, "it's more difficult for you to pick up on my scent?"

"Yes. But do not think I will ever make the mistake of forgetting it. Which is what you are implying. That an escape is possible should you scrub your own essence off yourself."

"Um-."

"If you value your virtue, do not ever attempt to."

"I did try to escape on my first day here."

"You consider that pathetic attempt, an escape?"

"That was before I knew you were a genetically altered hulk of man who can throw people off his back like a sack of potatoes!" she retorted. "The fact that I made an attempt up the stairs should speak for itself."

"Hardly an escape attempt," he argued. "You were remarkably easy to subdue."

"Sorry my strength didn't come from a science experiment!"

"So am I," he agreed. "It would have been nice to have you at least put up a decent fight."

She knew he was goading her further and further into an outburst and at this point, Eden wasn't sure she wanted to censor herself from one.

"Have you forgotten what it's like to be decked in the groin already?" she recalled. "Or do you want another reminder?"

A crippling silence pierced the atmosphere after this proclamation. Eden was sure Khan would attempt to hit her. Or throw the table at her. Either would be easy for him to do.

Instead, he drew his lean self into a standing position.

"Shower."

Slowly nodding, Eden picked herself up. She wasn't a hundred percent sure what had just happened, but the fact that she wasn't in any grueling pain, worked as a definite plus for her.

However, she couldn't help but feel like she'd been given that victory too easily.

"You're not angry about my comment?"

"No."

She studied him skeptically.

"Why?"

"I've determined it means more than I initially thought."

"I was defending myself."

"That may be. But you voiced it without fear. Implying that you are becoming comfortable around me."

"Or I know that if you hurt me, your goal will be that much more difficult to attain. So I said it because for the most part, I was assured you weren't going to be violent," she defended.

"Of course."

His simple reply maddened her because if she thought about it too much, he actually had a valid point. Compared to how she'd reacted to him in the first week, Eden was actually more at ease in his presence. That could only happen if a part of her, however unaware, had begun to ever so gradually lower her guard down.

And that scared her more than any physical harm Khan could ever unleash on her.

* * *

**I'm sorry this was such a long chapter. Too much can get a bit strenuous. I kept trying to end their conversation, but they were insistent tonight. How about them childhood crushes, hm? ;). Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**During the scene that Spock is chasing after Khan through SF following Kirk's "death", I told my friend that they were both sprinting to my bedroom. He laughed and shook his head, possibly wondering why he agreed to take me to the city to watch the film in the first place. That being beside the point, thank you all for your continuous reviews. I'm blown away in the humblest way possible that people are sticking with this story despite the lack of action. It's coming, don't worry. I just need to set them up to the emotional point I have in mind before shit starts to go down. Part of me is thinking that Khan is going soft on her. He can be a cruel bastard. But then I think - him being nice just to gain her submission is pretty cruel in itself. If that is his intent. Who knows. This chapter is a lot of dialogue, not so much in the banter form, though. It's meant to signify a progression between them. A new understanding, maybe. Each time I try to write something sexual between them, they get philosophical and begin debating on me. I really hope you enjoy considering I'm kind of back and forth on this chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"If you attempt anything noble, this privilege will not be repeated. Is that understood?"

Eden arched up a brow, fingers brushing over the soft fabric of the fluffy white towel. Despite the obvious threat in Khan's voice, she couldn't find the will inside her to feel all that intimidated. She was finally going to take a shower, damn it! A chance to scrub away all the grime and dirt and sweat her body had sheltered in the past week and more. He could have made the threat with an angry hand around her throat and she wouldn't have batted an eyelash, so fortified was her happiness.

However, he was expecting an answer, evident by the solemn seriousness he studied her with. And for once, she decided to comply. A condescending remark wasn't worth losing the chance to shower. At least not entirely.

"I'm not sure what you can consider noble during a shower, but I hear you loud and clear," she assured, eyes skipping to the worn shower curtain.

It surprised her to find the bathroom had been just as traditional and ordinary as the rest of the house - a vessel frozen in time. A time she recognized mainly through century old films. In their current star date, even the most depleted homes at least had something as advanced as an aqua fiberglass installed in the showers rather than a curtain. Inside would usually be a small, black knob located above the towel rail, allowing you to increase or decrease the transparency of the glass. This knob also carried an option to lock the user inside, should a reason ever call for it.

Eden recalled watching a film not even a full year ago (it'd been needlessly raunchy, but her split from a wandering boyfriend had her seeking shelter in outrageously erotic, female friendly films), and the shower had served as one of the many heated moments the heroine - Anita - had engaged the use of with her male lead - Antonio - locking the shower so no one would accidentally discover them.

She'd rate the film a two out of ten, overall, in plot and character development. The steamy, borderline porn scenes, however, received an admiral (perhaps a bit envious) ten out of ten.

God, she'd been desperate then to just abstain from all relationships and become a hermit who watched indecent films whenever life got to be too lonely! Maybe that'd have altered her current fate.

On top of the shower being entirely ancestral, Eden noted a rusty, yet still functional marble sink (Khan had to have done some rewiring and adjusting in order to procure water in such an untouched and empty house), outdated mustard yellow wallpaper that appeared to have seen better days, and a toilet with the lid missing. Her feet were already dirty so she could easily overlook the dust gathered in between the cold, lavender tiles.

Upon entering the bathroom, almost on instinct, Eden glanced at herself in the mirror. And understandably, she'd been startled. She knew she wouldn't exactly be looking up to par with normalcy, but the person staring back worried her more than she'd care to admit.

Grease caked her black, wavy strands, causing split ends galore to tickle against her collarbone while her bangs worked on blanketing her eye brows. The normally lightly tanned complexion she'd received from so much moving around to sunny regions, had receded into an unhealthy, bright pale. Her red lips were dry and on their way to becoming cracked. Her cheeks were decreased in roundness, instead, appearing to have grown slimmer and covering her cheek bones tighter. Normally bright, translucent green eyes had dimmed to a startling gray-green, though that could have just been the lighting.

As she had fully observed herself in the mirror, mouth slightly parted, pupils dilated to take in her unsettling reflection, Eden fleetingly thought she'd never looked or felt less like a female. Atrocious, dirty, and criminally unhygienic.

So, this shower wasn't just essential to wipe away all physically unsavory remnants of the past week, but an emotional act that would at least restore a little bit of faith in her own womanhood.

Actually, Eden had faintly wondered how Khan found her attractive in the first place in her current state. Perhaps he had a thing for ghoulish looking women with obedience issues.

"Is there anything else you require?"

The attempt at chivalry sounded foreign coming from Khan's lips and by a quick scan, Eden could sense the question to be unnatural for him to ask. He sounded as excited to help her as a lamb felt being shipped to a slaughterhouse.

"Only silence and a peace of mind," she replied with a fleeting smile, hugging the towel closer to her.

He instantly moved toward the door, but a thought must have struck him because he twisted back around suddenly, shoulders stiff and face severe.

"Before it slips my mind, I need to have your clothing. As technologically inept as this house is, the owners remarkably were able to own at least some sort of semblance of modern appliances. Their washing system will have your clothes dry and clean by the end of your shower."

The comment sounded contrived, as if he were forcing himself to care. And it had Eden wondering for the tenth time why he had such an issue with giving her a shower when he'd suggested it in the first place.

"Okay," she agreed. "Stand outside and when everything's off, I'll slip it through the door."

He didn't move from his place, engaging her with a collected stare, searching for something he obviously couldn't find in her statement.

"If you attempt anything that harms your body," he decided, not even bothering to hide the threat in his deep voice, "I will break each arm in half with the ease of a twig. Then, I will work with excruciating slowness on eliciting an apology confirming that disobedience will not occur again. Understood?"

Eden blinked, curious as to where this warning was coming from. She thought she'd made it obvious that should he not attempt anything...forceful or unnecessarily cruel, she wouldn't hurt herself.

And yet, he eyed her like a distrusting parent does a mischievous child. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit irritated at his warning.

"Worried about me soaping myself to death? Or maybe swallowing the shampoo? Come on, I'm not that stupid. All I want is a shower. Nothing more. Besides, even if I was to ever consider suicide, I'd definitely make sure you couldn't ever revive me afterward."

His eyes narrowed dangerously at this.

"Shall I take to watching you shower so I'm assured of your compliance?"

Eden sent him a burning glare before reluctantly shaking her head. Some points weren't worth pursuing in the name of dignity, especially if Khan wasn't joking about what could be considered a very, very bad idea.

"I think I can manage a shower without killing myself."

"Excellent," he accepted, his eyes the only indication of his victory. "Though, I would not have minded watching."

"And this is the part where you leave," she ended, growing increasingly uncomfortable in the tiny setting.

His eyes darkened stubbornly as they swept over her, head tilting curiously.

"What could you honestly do if I refused?"

She didn't know if he was asking it as a legitimate question or if he was merely mocking her attempt at decency. Either way, she opted for honesty. One wrong answer and primal Khan could make a come back.

"I'm more afraid of what you would do," she confessed. "You hugged and sniffed me like an animal just because I tried to distance myself from you. Who knows what other "unforeseen" reaction would reveal itself should you see me naked?"

"You are implying I would not be able to control myself? Don't be absurd. I'm not human."

"Most humans don't growl and eye fuck me if I try to back away from them," Eden countered pointedly. "I don't need your manipulativeness in intentions to merge with your unpredictable instincts. That would be very bad. So, for both of our sakes, could you please remove yourself from the room?"

His lips were pursed in thought, possibly weighing her words.

Eden, on the other hand, attempted to subdue the unexpected realization that this shower would signal a shift in their _severly_ dysfunctional relationship. Granted, Khan was most likely doing this to appease her and gain some sort of trust. Why else would he willingly give her a shower?

But his words from earlier still clung to her uneasily like a suffocating second skin. That she was becoming comfortable in his presence and she didn't even know it. She'd observed his point from various angles and noted these uneasy facts:

His dark moods didn't alter her own anymore.

His threats could be flipped into topics of conversation, so at ease and unaffected by them was she.

His own mannerisms, despite his inhumanity, fascinated her more often times than she would care to admit.

Despite all he'd done to her sanity and physical form, she couldn't help but pick these truths out.

If she didn't know it any better, Eden would have thought she was losing it. Being comfortable in the enemy's presence was foolish and unwise, especially with someone as dangerously brilliant as Khan. Deep, deep within her, Stockholm syndrome even briefly nudged at her brain despite there being nothing she could ever remotely love in her captor.

What else could be the catalyst of such a gradual shift?

To maintain her sanity, however, Eden decided on keeping up a silent pretense that maybe there'd be a benefit to ushering out his acts of charity, no matter how contrived they were. Maybe inexplicably or without intending to, he'd come to understand she wasn't beneath him.

"You are correct, pet," he finally acknowledged.

Then again, that was as likely as intergalactic peace.

"Good," she cheered listlessly. "I'll hand you my clothes when you're safely on the other side."

She didn't meet his eyes and released a relieved sigh upon hearing his footsteps slip out of the room, door snapping shut behind him.

Her eyes immediately searched for a lock on the door, but the bolt appeared to have been broken clean off, possibly years ago. This made her feel slightly uneasy. Though she'd mainly said it to get him out of the bathroom, Eden couldn't help but wonder whether he really would be affected by her naked presence on the other side of the door. It seemed like overkill to worry about it. It was just a shower and she half heartedly believed him when he assured her that he had more self-control than to act on anything just because she was so exposed.

However, logic and instinct had forced her to point out that his own primality was unpredictable. The fact that he actually listened to her and left the room rather than argue, served to weave a tighter knot in her stomach.

Only an unlocked door would be separating him from her. And even if she was to lock the shower (provided the knobs weren't broken as well), she was sure his superior strength could shatter through the glass easily.

Realistically, there stood no obstacle that could keep him from her.

It unnerved Eden to put faith in prayer as it hadn't done much good when her parents had died. Just as well, the very existence of such a vast universe caused science to be her primary belief in the explanation of anything and everything.

But now, she couldn't help but emit a few silent prayers for her sake. Even if they were sent to a God who wasn't there, it eased her to think maybe someone would watch out for her. To make sure she wasn't-.

Eden swept two hands through her hair in agitation, hating the erosive vulnerability eating away at her confidence. And the frustration at not knowing just how Khan ticked. Moreso, his biology.

"A book. Just a simple book," she muttered in exasperation to the silent room. "To know what the hell makes him react like a primitive bastard."

At this, she entertained the thought (moreso to soothe her worries) that she may be blowing things out of proportion in worrying about his lack of self control. He was undeniably the most intellectually impressive and disciplined man she'd ever come in contact with.

But this reasoning was cut short. He hadn't been so disciplined in kidnapping her. Or awkwardly hugging her (it wasn't a hug, but she acknowledge there wasn't a word yet in any language that could describe what he'd done).

"Do you plan on questioning my restraint all day?" came his baritone voice through the door.

"I have good reason to," she shot back, unnerved that he knew her indecisiveness so accurately.

"As I mentioned before, force isn't how I wish to claim you," he revealed. "And if you continue wasting my time, I will remove your clothing myself. So, for your sake, stop worrying and hurry up."

She instinctively felt like doing something childish at his scolding, but refrained at the thought of a retaliation. For now, she just needed to think about her shower and nothing more.

Not even a full minute later and Eden was tightly wrapping the towel around her form. She'd folded her cargo pants, t-shirt, socks, underwear and bra in a neat pile, somewhat out of habit. And this habit cheered her up ever so slightly. It was nice to know all of her mother's instilled manners hadn't been decimated by her barbaric lifestyle.

"I'm opening the door now," she called, one hand hovering above the knob while another balanced her dirty laundry on a palm.

There was no response from his end, but that didn't shock her too much. It wasn't exactly a rhetorical statement.

It only took a crack of a few inches before she thrusted her hand out, unwilling to allow any further chance for observation to the man other than her head and half a shoulder.

"A bit paranoid, aren't we?"

The moment she saw indulgent satisfaction playing across his features, all of Eden's worries sank and annoyance flared up inside her.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Immensely. You play the damsel attempting fruitlessly to protect her virtue, quite well. Though, it is a possibility that you overestimate your own physical appeal," he pointed out, gathering her clothes and draping them over one arm.

"According to you, I don't give much thought to it," she pointed out. "You were the one to leave the bathroom, remember? Now why would you do that when you were so fond of watching? Ah, yes. My ghastly appearance must have scared you off."

"Can you blame me?"

"That's a loaded question and for the sake of your intellectual ego, we'll leave it unanswered," she bit back, sensing his attempt at goading her.

"How thoughtful."

"One of us has to be."

"I am allowing you to shower."

"Mistake number one being you just said allow, as if I were an unruly animal. Doesn't score you any points in the respect and trust department. I also don't trust that this is purely for my benefit. You're trying to gain favor with me."

"Is that so wrong?"

"When I know why it is you're doing it, yes."

He voided his expression at this, but his stare intensified in that way that made her insides jerk.

"And why is it that I'm doing this?"

"Why state it when we both know?"

"I suppose I have an irrational predilection for hearing you say it."

She got the impression that halfway through the comment, Khan actually grew committed to his words.

"You want me to submit to you," she stated.

"Initially, yes."

At this, Eden considered slamming the door in his face. Since when did he have the right to pack on what he wanted from her?

"I don't understand."

"Hardly surprising as you have a repugnant habit of blinding yourself by your moral compass."

Ignoring the insult, Eden clutched the towel firmer, knowing this was one of those times that called for a defense of who she was.

"You of all men are not going to lecture me on morality. Not today, not ever. Now what the hell do you mean you expect more than just my submission? I thought you wanted to screw, then either kill or maim me. I have a slight preference for the killing only because I'd most likely be dead inside by this point and death would be better than living with the knowledge that you touched me."

She always found it slightly amusing (and rather terrifying) how incensed Khan got whenever she disregarded his sexual abilities. As was the case now - teeth clenched, jaw tightened, stare firm. But honestly, he couldn't actually expect her to enjoy it, could he? That would be a whole other level of messed up.

"Do not think your virgin inexperience will exemplify you from enjoying, even craving what I will do to your body."

This time, her own temper flared. But only by a strand of patience did Eden keep her voice light, despite the weight of her words.

"Virgin? Not even remotely. I've done things your supposed intellect couldn't even dream of-"

Okay, so she slightly exaggerated the latter, but the former was entirely true.

"-furthermore, with your terrible flirting skills, penchant for kidnapping, and godawful ability to make me feel like I'm not going to die a violent death just by looking at you, I'm thinking you're the virgin in this relationship."

His anger swept over him so calmly that Eden didn't even bother denying it was all out fear coursing through her veins, increasing the tempo of her pulse. She couldn't fathom what sort of stupid courage allowed her to say what she did, despite the pleasure she'd got from defending herself. All she knew was that Khan looked ready to incinerate her where she stood and that the hand holding the towel to her form, shook ever so slightly.

"It would be wise of you to back away and close the door. This would benefit us mutually."

She was fastened in place, unable to move. Or for that matter, censor herself. Impulse and fear conspired to either provide her with a death wish or seek further knowledge. Quite honestly, she couldn't determine which at this point.

"What do you want from me, Khan?"

It took him a moment to answer.

"Other than your submission, nothing."

"You claim there's more than that."

He appeared to consider her request, but it didn't lessen his black glare in any way.

"Upon making the discovery that you are decently informed and well spoken, my aims were quite suddenly catapulted in a direction I had not envisioned. I only strived to possess your body before, nothing more. But now, I aim to obliterate any and all notions you hold of good and fairness in your world. Such optimism in a broken society spawned by an equally broken race, isn't natural, especially with a mind like yours. By all means, you should be cynical and lethargic, not hopeful in things to come. I will make it so. After I submit your body, I intend to break your spirit."

Eden heard the words loud and clear, Khan's deathly calm voice and stare having made her repeat certain parts of it in her mind.

However, it didn't exactly generate the proper response. She knew this because instead of quaking in her spot, she had the sudden urge to laugh.

And some sort of amusement must have found its way onto her face because Khan's glare only grew darker.

"_What?_"

"You're angry at me because I'm...chipper?" she determined. "Oh...that's funny."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning it's funny," she repeated, the corner of her lips curling up ever so slightly. "Congratulations. You just made me laugh."

Besides his anger, she could tell she also confused him. But that was to be expected. Her revelation about his promise surprised even herself.

"Explain. **Now**."

Inhaling calmly, Eden leaned on the door, determining how to best word it out. She didn't need him angrier than he already was, as entertaining as that was to see.

"You are the cynic and there have been experiences you've obviously dealt with that has poisoned your hope and belief in the good others are capable of. That might explain your jibe at my moral compass. Seeing as you hate my species an awful lot, I can safely assume someone of my kind has wronged you. Poor bastard, whoever he is. And now you've wronged me and you're angry because while I do hate you, I'm not giving _into_ hate. Which should be natural because you understand humanity remarkably well seeing as you were created out of our image. We can give into hate easier than love or forgiveness. And you are right. I should be cynical. I didn't realize that until you pointed it out. The gap between poor and rich and the depravity people are capable of, should skewer my view of "good and fairness" in this world. But...it hasn't. I don't know why."

She paused at this, brain seemingly skipping at a hundred miles a second with the understanding that she was onto something. Accurate or not, she couldn't contain her revelation.

"And in the past week, it seemed like the crueler you treated me, the more broken I should have been. Which might be what you were going for, now that I think about it. For me to lose hope in everything and accept that your affections would be my salvation. But that didn't happen."

His anger in physical terms, gradually lessened, but his bright eyes didn't so much as blink. So wrapped up in her musings was Eden that she hadn't noted his step forward either.

"You made the decision to show me who you were right away because you hate my species too much at this point to pretend to be nice. But it also makes me wonder...you have made attempts at being more accomodating. I call it a ploy so I can maintain my sanity, but is there any possibility that there's depth to it? It's insane to consider, but nothing is written in stone here. We respond to each other, it seems, by impulse. I think I might have been wrong, not entirely, but marginally when I assumed everything you did was on purpose. Maybe you've actually attempted to be polite and engaging because you felt like it. And now you blame yourself because I'm responding to it by becoming somewhat comfortable around you. Problematic because while you want this in order to secure my submission, it leaves you dealing with someone who still retains hope and sensibility. Again, probably why you've recently decided you wanted to break my spirit. Knowing that I have something that you don't - something that makes me stronger - angers you terribly. And - oh God, I'm not boring you, am I? This is just so...invegorating. I know you'll probably die before telling me this, but am I right about anything I just said?"

He didn't answer for such an intensely long minute that Eden grew concerned. This prolonged silence wasn't natural for someone like Khan.

But, he exhaled through his nostrils ever so calmly.

"No."

There was no waver in his voice, no threat in composure to indicate he was lying or avoiding the truth.

Instantly, Eden thought to accept his answer. Once her revelation sped to a halt, logic kicked in and scolded her for believing for a second that Khan would do anything other than to benefit himself.

But, she couldn't quite believe entirely that all of her points were wrong, especially when this man could disguise his real emotions so easily. Yes, perhaps Khan being nicer in her presence because he wanted to, might be her imagination running wild. He was nice because he wanted her trust. And even nice was too nice of a word.

However, other points weren't completely unsound. Though, she wasn't sure if she was willing to descend into the topics she thought were bordering the truth.

"I should probably take a shower," she announced, nearly forgetting why she was wrapped in a towel in the first place.

"You don't fear my intent to break you?"

Fiddling with the fabric on the towel, Eden glanced down at her feet before meeting his gaze. She had hoped to feel fearful, but that wasn't the case.

"No. You'd need my permission for that to happen. But...I also think you're...relieved to have met someone who can keep up with you, even if I'm stumbling behind most of the time. And I don't think you see the logic or fun in breaking someone who challenges you."

"Why would I not find that fun? What makes you think it wouldn't thrill me to vacate you of your will and defiance?"

His response was ruthless, but Eden knew giving up now would signify not only defeat, but another chance to make a point.

"Because if you found that idea fun, you wouldn't have given me a choice. You wouldn't work to gain my submission. You'd have taken it by force long ago."

"Is this not all a game for me, then? Lulling you into a false sense of security and equality so I may ultimately gain what I wish?"

"I don't know, Khan. Is it a game for you?" she inquired. "You were the one to call me a puzzle and I never considered those to be games. One puts thought and work and time into a puzzle because it intrigues them. It's not often they're destroyed after being solved."

"By that logic, you are admitting that I interest you."

As usual, he managed to avoid her point and win control of what she'd originally said in order to use it against her. But this time, Eden didn't bother denying it. It'd be trivial.

"Only in the sickest of ways, yes. Your mind is interesting. It's been a long time since I've had the chance to have conversations like the ones we've had. And while I hate you for them, hate you because you still treat me with such disdain even when you know I'm not entirely stupid, hate you because you kidnapped and humiliated me, hate you because you want my submission, hate you because you don't come with an instruction manual on what the hell is actually going on with your primal instincts, I can't help but be interested in you. Isn't that really messed up? I mean...just completely...bad. Very bad. I'm sure I've just skyrocketed your chances at manipulating me by providing you with this information. You'll use it against me. I know you will. But maybe some good can come out of my admission that will help me emotionally or mentally."

He didn't reply immediately, but she noted by this point, nearly all of his anger had drained away.

Instead of commenting on her confession or the other numerous things she'd said that could lead to hour long conversations, Khan swung the topic into completely different territory.

"How many unsuitables have you been with?"

"By unsuitables, I'm to assume you mean men? Which isn't your business, by the way."

"How. Many."

His demand held no room for being coy.

"Two."

For a moment, she thought his anger would return. Which didn't make sense to her. Why would any of her former partners anger him? With his looks, he probably steam rolled a few good handfuls of women himself.

And yes, that image successfully managed to creep her out.

"It is reassuring," he indicated, taking a step back, "to not worry about living up to expectations."

"Mine are ridiculously low when it comes to you. Don't be so quick to think you'd be anything fantastic."

"Engaging me in discussion regarding what sexual acts of intimacy I am capable of, will not bode well for your dignity."

Only with great reluctance did she agree. It was not a conversation she would be having today or ever, if she could help it.

"You're not really going to break my spirit, are you?"

She voiced it without any proof or indication otherwise. Just a question she internally wanted answered. If he was serious, she'd need to prepare for it.

"Your spirit is what makes you a puzzle. Why break you when it only makes my task boring and unnecessarily difficult? I honestly only wished to see you angered in thinking I wanted something more from you. I did not expect you to react with hystericalness. It called for improvisation. Though, you certainly managed quite a discussion with yourself. And revealed some rather intimate information."

Eden was tempted to ask him about those exact points she'd made - such as his own cynicism and why he really didn't like it that she remained so hopeful - but she knew it'd be pushing it. Personal questions were off topic. She'd made sure of that by not talking about her mother. Plus, that's not the sort of interest she had in him. It was only his mind and mannerisms, nothing more.

She briefly thought this wasn't quite fair. She'd done her best to hate him and while she still did, it didn't prevent fascination from blooming.

In turn, however, he only wanted her body.

It was an uneven, imbalanced trade off. Made only more complicated by the fact that her fascination was a weakness and she was sure he'd capitalize on it sometime soon.

But, Eden would cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, she had a long, overdue shower to get to.

* * *

**I know it may seem like their discussion got nowhere, but realize that you're only getting Eden's POV. Khan is a closed book, even when he's open. It's not accurate to say what's getting through to him and not. Only his future actions will tell. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Don't worry, I didn't abandon you all. With work and a graduation party to get out of the way, I've been exceptionally busy. That being said, I have a surprise of two chapters coming at you in a row. Honestly, I was too frustrated that the shower scene didn't go my way last chapter, and as a reviewer pointed out, it was dry, which is a very polite term for it. So, I've just decided to skip it. If it's not coming out, then it's not meant to be written. Yet. These two chapters were originally all one, but I felt the need to split them up. They'll be parts I and II because they so closely pertain to the same emotion from beginning to end. This chapter turned in a whole different direction and there's a lot of Eden's musings. Which you need from a main character so you can either relate or at least care about them. I didn't find it boring, but those who are craving action only, might not like it so much. Ah well. I want Eden to branch out and figure herself out. It'll be better in the long run. Thank you, as always, for your lovely reviews and support. Seriously, you guys are pure inspiration. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Part I**

Eden inhaled deeply, ignoring the stray water droplets scurrying down her back. In her post-shower state of bliss, she was secured in a towel, radiating a soapy scent that overwhelmed her nostrils due to its stingingly clear and unnecessarily sharp fragrance.

Khan hadn't been thoughtful enough to include shampoo, but that didn't annoy her all too much. In fact, she was in a reasonably optimistic mood. While there may not have been many instances as of yet where she had a choice about her fate, just knowing she could at least maintain some modesty in a towel, soothed her greatly.

Then again, she knew if it ever came to battling off his advances, the fabric most likely wouldn't stand a chance.

But a girl could dream that modesty would triumph perversion.

"Khan?"

Once again, she failed to receive a reply.

On most circumstances, this would have been considered a relief. As their last conversation floated around in her head, she had taken the time to scold herself for her own stupidity. She'd practically thrown at him, out of irritation, a tactic to use against her. He was now blatantly aware that while she hated him and all he stood for, an accommodating, naive part of her couldn't help but think him interesting. A huge, consequential mistake that would have her on guard for the returning blow to her dignity he was sure to conduct.

Right now, however, as she balanced herself on slippery feet, one hand hovering above the door knob, she would have gladly welcomed any type of acknowledgement from the man. After the initial physical comfort and emotional rejuvenation had set in from the steamy shower, her skin began to unleash violent goosebumps while her teeth shook in synch to each shiver.

Almost miraculously, her body had switched from battling off intense heat to embracing it as her body dried and the cold tile she stood on, shot through her body.

And thus, the waiting game had begun. She was waiting, quite patiently may she add, for her warm, clean clothes. Surely he'd have heard her shower end and would be eager to throw her back into the basement, fully clothed.

Then again, this was Khan. The latter wasn't exactly necessary.

Either way, after a prolonged lack of responsiveness from his end, Eden ventured the idea of journeying for her clothes herself.

Unfortunately, there remained a large problem.

She would possibly rather starve herself another week before allowing Khan an unobstructed view of her half naked form, even if she was clad in a frumpy towel.

Dramatic? Quite possibly. Earlier on, he'd even made the point to mock her about overestimating her physical appeal.

And yet, coming from the guy who responded by kidnapping her just because she smelled good, she couldn't exactly put too much faith that he necessarily believed his own words and would react impassively.

This thought wasn't by any means an attempt at vanity - Eden was aware she wasn't an outstanding beauty - but more of a lack of belief in his ability to control his primal instincts, those which she still knew very little about. Plus, her confidence hardly assured her that he wouldn't attempt something when she felt so terribly vulnerable with revealing so much skin; a point he probably picked up on already because she had been willing to suffer a potential heat stroke rather than remove her clothing in front of him.

She'd exited the shower a good fifteen minutes ago and after knocking on the door, taps increasing in strength, not only got dead silence, but the impression he wasn't there. To test the boundaries, she worked on yelling randomly at him. A risky, yet oddly gratifying process.

"Are you out there?"

Followed by-

"I need my clothes!"

And then-

"I'm coming out whether you like it or not."

A hint of confidence laced her tone-

"I'm naked and wet."

After that one, she began to wonder if she was only talking to herself.

After voicing his name five more times, she could almost count herself sure she was.

Unfortunately, hesitation still kept her from opening the door. There were questions that needed answers and she wasn't sure she was willing to risk thoughtlessness just to retrieve her clothes.

And so, she pondered if he wasn't outside the door, was this some sort of game then? Could he just not hear her? Was he intentionally hoping to usher her out so he could strike? Did he mean to test her patience?

There was another thought she'd been reluctant to touch on, but the headier the silence grew, the more insistent it pressed at her.

Was he even still in the house?

Only when her shivers threatened to transform into shakes, did Eden decide on leaving the bathroom despite not knowing where he was. It was ridiculous that his lack of a response was able to instill such trepidation inside her. Like a pet who waited for a master's return. It sickened her, if she thought about it too sharply.

Just as well, she knew her actions were contradicting the bravery she'd fought to maintain for over a week. And to tremble in fear regarding what he could possibly do to her, served to not only notify him of her submissiveness, but herself that his presence could truly alter the way she lived her life.

So, with a held breath, Eden jerked open the door.

Only to find empty space.

In fact, the short hallway connecting the bathroom and kitchen, not only sat vacant of her kidnapper, but of any lumination. When she had eaten, the lights had been on.

Judging by the angle the shadows were jumping across the hallway wall from the window in the kitchen, she could tell evening would soon be approaching. And that she'd probably been in the shower close to a good hour.

Which might explain why Khan was nowhere to be found. When filthy, a girl could hide herself in the shower for days so far as every inch of her was clean upon the journey back out. She doubted Khan would understand such a human (and female) instinct. In this way, it occurred to her then that maybe she was exaggerating his suspicious behavior for boredom. It wasn't mandatory that he be in her presence all the time.

"Khan?" she called out again, venturing a step outside the bathroom door.

Only when her voice died out did she make the choice to try and find her clothes. She wasn't exactly sure where the washer room would be in such a traditional house, but it would be a good chance to check out every room for her captor.

It took passing through the kitchen, a master bedroom, and what looked like a nursery room (its stoic abandonment intrigued her), before she found the wash room - large enough to perhaps hold the machine and nothing more.

To her relief, sitting atop the outdated washer, in their neat and washed glory, were her clothes, piled from pants to underwear.

Mindlessly, Eden dropped her towel and raced to the pile, unable to keep a grin off her face. Her joy may have seemed outlandish to an outsider, but it takes being kidnapped and left to survive in grime before one truly appreciates the magnificence of such a small action as wearing clean clothes. An action she was sure to never underappreciate again.

She didn't give much thought to the fact that Khan did her laundry, until she was slipping her t-shirt over her head, inhaling the faint traces of lavender from the fabric softener.

Upon acknowledging this, she couldn't help but laugh. The thought of the madman doing anything so domestic and human, humored her to no end. A series of remarks (all likely to get her killed upon voicing), sped through her head. However, her laughter abruptly died when she also considered how nice it was of him as well. Uncharacteristic, but nice.

Quickly, she disengaged this train of thought as well as the sentiment associated with it. Khan was a manipulative, controlling, violent psychopath. Everything he did, had a motive. Washing her clothes was an attempt to get on her good side. Nothing more.

"Khan?" she repeated, unable to hide her slight frustration at his absence.

When she failed to get a reply once again, Eden set off in the direction of the basement. As of now, it remained the only room she hadn't checked to confirm he was indeed gone.

To reach the basement, she had to pass through the kitchen. And upon doing so, her eyes glanced over to the table, noting its dusty and untouched state where her food had resided only hours before. Something about the state of the table puzzled her, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what.

Her thoughts were set aside when the basement door invaded her sight.

Already, she guessed she wouldn't find his presence down there, but to not check would be equally as risky. With Khan, she never knew his intent.

So, she pulled the door open, hand immediately grasping for a light switch.

Upon striking it, she blinked a few times as the dim yellow spread out below her, fully revealing just what sort of environment she'd lived in for over a week. She'd only seen a fraction of the room, all underneath the lone light bulb, from the moment he'd thrown her down there.

To her complete relief, the basement appeared to be nothing more than a former storage center or food pantry. What the darkness had hid from view held little more than emptied boxes and emptier metal shelves, some lined up against the walls, others pressed on their sides against the floor in disarray.

This image had Eden wondering, not for the first time, just who had once lived in this home. It seemed to be petrified between a traditional way of living and a step toward modernization, though even the modernization was now outdated. Combined with the chilling, emptied nursery upstairs and the excessive dust gathered on nearly every inch of the house - clinging to the surface, the entire home appeared to serve as a relic to the past.

Regrettably, she wasn't exactly in the position to dedicate all of her focus and time to figuring out who had once owned the house. But, should she survive Khan in one piece, she promised herself the house would be revisited in greater detail. Something so old and haunting shouldn't be left to deteriorate and be forgotten with time.

It took descending to the last step of the stairs and a final thorough study before Eden grasped on to the fact that Khan was nowhere to be found.

In the _entire_ house.

Somewhat shakily, she sat on a sturdy step, one hand shifting through her damp hair, curious as to what this meant.

Initially, she tried to deduce his sudden disappearance by logic. But this became too difficult of a task when excitement kept bubbling up inside her, bringing hopeful smiles to her face.

Khan was **gone**.

Not only did this greatly appease her mental state, but it offered up the perfect opportunity to escape.

Of course this was all too simple and coincidental, her mind reminded. After containing her to the basement for over a week, there was no way she believed he'd decide to just let her evade him so easily. It didn't make sense.

But the promise of home kept overriding logic. Home which had a proper bed and her ever growing book shelves and a tiny, but warm kitchen and ragged, yet soft carpet and _durable_ locks. Blessed locks that kept intruders out!

It wasn't until she recalled all of these small details that she understood how harshly she'd been repressing them all. Maybe because she feared acknowledging these conveniences when facing potential death, would make her homesickness even worse. Or perhaps a part of her wasn't sure she'd ever be seeing home again.

Either way, the memories served to increase her longing that much more.

By sheer will, she contained the excitement and instead, focused on the matter at hand - determining what Khan was playing at.

She reasoned it could all be a game. He left her alone to see if she would have the courage to attempt escape.

She reasoned whatever effort he'd been working on prior to her kidnapping, might have made her second priority and he'd left to sort out whatever he was up to when not harassing her.

She reasoned he got bored of her and left, but this was more wishful thinking than anything.

Twenty minutes later and her brain still drew up a blank. She simply didn't know the psychopath well enough to figure out his motivation for such a seemingly careless act. And thinking about all those possible motives only made her cranium sore.

Thinking like a manipulative psychopath was strenuous business.

"I have to leave before he gets back."

This statement was an undeniable truth. Despite whatever Khan was going for in his casual disappearance, she'd be damned if he kept her from leaving just because she feared not only his reaction, but the motivation that made him leave her to her own devices. Just like it'd been when she hesitated before leaving the bathroom.

And with this, Eden uneasily understood how in a way, he had subconsciously conditioned her - like an animal - to worry about what he could do to her. Not exactly obvious at first, but the fact that she hesitated in escaping, alerted her that the fear had wiggled its way in there. And while violence was definitely a form of intimidation he could use against her, it certainly wasn't the only weapon in his arsenal.

How did this happen?

Well, she blamed herself, partly. She had asked him to be nicer and less cruel. And he caved in ever so slightly to her request because he selfishly wanted her submission. Which led to something she had most definitely not foreseen - involuntarily lowering her defenses and attempting to see him as a human, despite his lack of compassion or guilt or morality.

She had thought his violent moods and demeaning mannerisms were the worst of his personalities to deal with, but it wasn't until soaking in what she knew now, that she understood a nicer Khan - no matter how forced - was a far more dangerous one. Because she wasn't able to ignore him like she'd done for that full week or vilify him so easily. Without consent, her mind actually...considered his moods and actions. And boy did that just chill her even further down to the bone.

Eden steadily rose despite the exhaustion she felt festering inside her.

It was decided. Home would be her next destination. Even if some part of her felt it was all too easy.

/./././././././././

"Listen, I understand your plight. This part o' London hasn't seen financial prosperity since probably before World War Three. Bombs destroyed a majority of the banks that made these parts thrive. But I's got to make a living somehow, too. And that means I want money up front 'fore I get ya home."

Eden wearily closed her eyes, a tired hand raking through her dried hair.

"Please," she repeated, not bothering, at this point, to hide the despair clouding her face as her grip on the cabbie's window grew tighter, "I understand what it means to just make it by. I told you my destination. You know it's not the glamour of modern London. Get me there and I'll pay double for the trip, I promise."

The cabby scrutinized her through the gathering darkness, upper lip jutting out - stiff and uncompromising. But there was an untapped empathy shining in his eyes, guarded, but there if anyone tried looking twice at him.

That glint was hopefully her ticket out of here.

It'd been a miracle for Eden to find the cab in the first place, much less hail it down when it'd been ready to fly off. Her bravery may have been steel up to this point, but she knew spending a night in the surrounding area could be compared to spending time in Khan's presence.

She wasn't quite sure which was worse yet.

Initially, she knew Khan had kept her in a seedy area, but it wasn't until she saw the equally devastated and levelled houses surrounding the one she'd been in that she understood just _how_ seedy. On top of the broken down and burnt out scenery, she had to ignore the stink of chemicals and waste in the air as well as the people. They scurried about like rodents, nearly all thin, through the short streets, clothed mainly in torn, hooded sweatshirts and fingerless gloves. She'd been able to blend in by keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact and because of her thinner features (Khan would certainly not be thanked for this no matter how convenient it made blending in) and older clothing, she'd managed to not draw too much attention.

But with the despairity in the atmosphere one could practically taste on their tongue, she understood her good luck couldn't hold up forever. Danger lurked in the shift from evening to night and while Eden considered herself adaptable, she wasn't exactly sure if she was prepared to handle a confrontation with someone far worse off than herself. With no weapon on her person and most methods of monetary transactions busted, broken or bankrupt, she needed to keep a sprint in her step if she was to get through the night without conflict.

After nearly an hour of meandering around, avoiding potentially unfriendly alleys, and gravitating in the direction of London's main skyscrapers, she'd caught the cab on its way to depart. She imagined she nearly gave the man a heart attack by jumping in front of his path, but impulse forced her feet forward, recognizing there may not be a better opportunity to leave the area by morning.

But he'd been unwavering in her request from the get go, leading to their current conversation.

"If you're in these parts, what makes me think you could even afford the trip to and from, _plus_ double that amount?"

His tone didn't indicate impatience, but Eden pretended in her head it did. She needed to be at her most convincing. And at this point, it really wouldn't hurt to attempt to be honest.

Partially, at least.

"I can't even tell you the messed up week I've had," she blurted with a hint of exhaustion, knowing her weariness wasn't so much of an act as it was a lack of being able to hide her fear. "I met this guy who appeared nice at first, but after convincing me to come over to this side of the city, ended up showing his true colors. In a place like this, you know they're not awfully pretty. We fought, he threatened, and now I've finally been able to escape his grasp for the first time in days. I risked being ran over just so I could get your attention and now that I have it, I am begging you...please, allow me this one trip. You can sit outside my house. I'll even invite you inside for a cup of tea so you're assured I'm not lying and you get your money. But I can't, if I want to maintain my sanity, stay here another night. _Please_."

At first, she thought she might have been a bit over dramatic with the latter proclamation. But upon remembering she just escaped from the clutches of a severely psychotic individual, she realized the dramatics weren't all too over the top.

And apparently, the cabbie agreed because his eyebrows softened just a tad.

"Ack...alright. Jump in the back. But I'm taking down your name. If ya jip me outta what you promised, I'll-."

"Thank you," she inserted gratefully, no longer concerned about putting up a brave front.

He stayed silent as she pulled the back door open, eying the strip of road before him.

Once she was properly inside the vehicle, door closed, he revved the cab forward, startling her form and throwing it back into the seat.

The cabbie looked like he wanted to laugh at her startled reaction, but maintained a grumpy frown instead.

"First time?" he deduced.

"How can you tell?" she shakily grinned, working on situating herself against the seat while fighting off the drop her tummy suffered.

This time, he didn't bother holding his chortle in.

And in seconds, the wheels left the ground, weaving a seemingly invisible path above the streets below them.

When Eden was finally able to regain her breath, she worked on studying the inside of the vehicle.

The brown leather she sat on was durable, but torn at. Other than that, however, the interior appeared to be kept in relatively pristine condition. The thin glass wedged behind the cabbie's seat and herself, looked recently installed. Her eyes paid particular attention to the glass, mesmerized by it for an unnamed reason.

It took seconds before she realized where she'd seen it before. A magazine. With one touch, she could access the local and international news, current weather, and sports.

Definitely a convenient source of distraction and while she was half tempted to try it out, her fingers and attention just wasn't up for it. Perhaps a future endeavor she'd partake in when a little bit more lucid.

Instead, her gaze traveled through the glass.

Immediately to the cabbie's right sat a rectangular monitor, no larger than a paperback novel, that beeped and blared the typed in address, displaying a makeshift road as well as all the other cabs occupying particular routes. The map was created in a latitude and longitude style, but the streets and centers of business or recreation, were also highlighted as they were being passed or approached.

Eden had only been inside a modern cab once, but being three years old at the time hardly qualified the experience as memorable in her yound mind.

Upon adjusting to the sensation of flying, she couldn't help but focus on this piece of technology specifically. From manuals she'd glimpsed at the library, she knew cabs carried a monitor of sorts displaying the weaving paths throughout London. But to actually see the device in use with her own eyes, caused her to properly marvel at the beauty of it.

Though the monitor was ever evolving, from the moment of conception, it revolutionized public transportation forever. Some would even say that without it, airborne travel by the common vehicle, wouldn't be possible.

A part of her supposed she should have been more concerned that it was the only thing keeping them from being hit in mid-flight. Should it unexpectedly die, they'd be doomed.

However, she assured herself that each driver already knew the ins and outs of the paths throughout the city like the back of their own hand. If needed, they could do without the monitors.

"Just got the beauty installed," the cabby spoke up after a few minutes, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "Last one wasn't smart enough to detect if another cab was gonna plow me over on the same route. This girl at least gives me a fair warning."

"Beauty indeed," she complimented, growing lax against the cushioned seat - though she thought it was more of fatigue making itself known. "Does the city pay for it or does it come out of your own pocket?"

She could tell she surprised the man by following through with the topic, and internally, she found the reaction endearing. Though it wasn't even a full two weeks she spent in Khan's presence, she had momentarily forgotten that not everyone reacted so coldly or blankly to questions and conversations. This man was a pleasant reminder of what she liked most about her species.

"City does, but cabs that go through certain routes like myself - specializing in the ruddier parts of the city - sometimes don't get the new gadgets until the richer ones do. 'Mazing, innit? We're warping 'cross space an' time, meeting aliens and whatnot, but we can't even manage to treat all people to a decent life."

Eden wordlessly nodded, gaze straying out the window. He made a point she'd already done her fair share of mulling over.

"So...what's your name?"

"Eden Callum," she answered without hesitation, eyes straying forward once more. "And yours?"

"Daniel. All you need to know me by," he confirmed gruffly. "You look a bit young to be wondering 'round with strange blokes."

Not really wanting to discuss her captor, Eden offered lightly, "He was charming."

"Worse types there are," Daniel agreed knowingly. "Reel ya in with promises, pretend to be nice, but then soon as ya give yourself to them, turn into rotten wankers."

She had the unexpected urge to laugh, but refrained. Khan being a rotten wanker was putting it mildly.

"Thank you," she voiced seconds later.

"What for?"

"Picking me up. Listening, maybe. Probably in the job specification, but it could always be worse."

He shrugged nonchalantly at this, but his shoulders visibly relaxed in tension.

The next few minutes went along rather quietly, minus the coughing of the engine and high pitched beeping of the monitor. She was lost, studying the cluster of lights and narrow streets and homes they flew above, seemingly morphing together the longer she stared. She wasn't aware that her mouth was set in a frown despite having something to finally be happy about and the harder she tried to force on a smile, the deeper her lips descended.

"You alright?"

Feeling his eyes on her, Eden's gaze dropped to her knees. It was a simple question, one she could have easily lied about, but she felt the need to be truthful right now. She was now out of the basement, out of the house, out of Khan's presence and it would be nice to figure out how she was feeling about the whole situation rather than burying her feelings.

"I don't know, truthfully. I'm in one form physically, but I feel like I've been exhausted of many pieces."

Daniel didn't answer immediately, swerving softly around a business center.

"Could drop ya off at the police station, if you wish."

The offer took a moment or two to register because embarrassingly enough, she hadn't even considered going to the police to file a statement against...well, who would it be? John Harrison? Whose real name was Khan.

How far would that get her?

Come to think of it, Eden realized she didn't even know anything concrete about his alias - the one he'd approached her with at the library. She knew who Khan was, at least partially. In their time together - primarily the first few days - he'd revealed to her his real name, what time period he'd been from, and his method of creation. But by no means did he indicate what he was doing in this time, how he was still alive, or why he had created the alias of John Harrison (a name she didn't think was conceived solely for meeting her). His name may not even be in any database, for all she knew.

On top of those displeasing discoveries, she also had to wonder what it was she'd tell the authorities anyway. He was a genetically modified superhuman who attempted to seduce her to his whim after kidnapping her?

She felt her face flush at this. Even the most sympathetic of police officers - provided they were even human - couldn't completely take her seriously.

Which maddened her. That Khan had done all that he had and if she were to ever repeat any of it, it would sound like the basis of some cheap romance novel, despite the lack of anything remotely romantic.

Once again, she had to reluctantly acknowledge how skillful he was at manipulation, be it of words or actions or behavior. Even if any of it was involuntary, he'd at least managed to poke a few holes in her story should she recite it aloud.

Beneath all that, however, lay a disconcerting conversation she recalled sharing with him in the basement. It went somewhere along the lines of if she were to ever escape and surround herself with military men, he would be forced to kill them all. Whether there was any truth to the statement, Eden couldn't be sure. It seemed more of a threat to make so she wouldn't get the idea that people with weapons could protect her.

But was she willing to risk finding out?

"No, I'm alright," she decided, skull throbbing in response.

Quite honestly, what she wanted right now more than anything was to be home. The idea appealed to her above all else as did the knowledge that she'd be able to sleep in her bed for the first time in over a week.

Call it laziness, call it foolish, but this, above all else, was her first priority.

After that, however, she had a difficult time making a proper judgment on what to do. The police was always an option. She wouldn't let his threat get in the way of that. If not to file a statement, then to at least throw his name out there.

But she reminded herself that Khan was brilliant - something she'd been struggling to do in the past few hours after escaping so easily and then allowing exhaustion to numb her. Surely he could avoid police detection if he so wished. Heck, he might even have another alias besides John Harrison, making her statement invalid.

"Sure you don't want help?"

The brief concern in Daniel's voice, followed by the gentle manner of his inquiry, made Eden think of her father. Which both depressed and comforted her.

"I just need to rest," she confirmed, vaguely amazed that sleep was still so brute a force considering how much of it she'd done in the past week or so.

"Right," he noted, empathy all but vanishing from his voice, "then might as well know we'll be there in 'bout ten minutes."

A groggy nod was his only response.

/./././././././././

Eden's eyes fluttered open, only to be blinded by sunlight.

Understandably, this confused her. Darkness had been a recurring friend. Why the sudden shift?

But after a minute of careful blinking and adjusting to the intense lumination, her surroundings as well as her situation finally made sense.

She gathered it was mid-morning and that she was on her bed, still clad in what she'd been kidnapped in, sprawled awkwardly across her sheets.

"Ugh," was the first scratchy noise to fly out of her throat, followed by the need to pick herself up. Once even semi-awake, her body naturally began to react to consciousness. She always thought it better to be prepared for it than struggle feebly.

As she pushed herself into a sitting position, a part of her worked on piecing together the last few memories of the night prior. There was of course her escape, followed by throwing herself in front of a cab.

Two dangerous decisions, back to back.

Then, she'd met Daniel who had indeed been invited into her home after he'd safely landed on her street. She recalled paying him and his surprise that she'd actually had the money to do so, then wishing him a safe venture before passing out on her bed.

All in all, a successful night.

And upon assembling this timeline of events, Eden's eyes widened while a cheer struggled not to pass her throat.

She was home!

This fact made her a bit wobbly and upon attempting to stand, she tripped over her feet and greeted the carpet.

But even face down on the floor, she couldn't contain her grin of relief.

The next thirty minutes ended up consisting of Eden refamiliarizing herself with everything she'd left at a standstill as well as cooking herself something to eat. Already, she was ravenous and it made her situation all the more real to finally be able to eat something made by her own hand. Or in general, to actually eat something.

She ended up heating up some peas from a can, boiling and mashing potatoes before pairing the duo off with slightly browned, grilled chicken she'd spiced up in a pan. It wasn't exactly a five star meal, but she ate it as if it were. Especially since the meal depleted her of her last bag of potatoes and a dwindling collection of canned peas.

Once properly sated, she discarded her clothes inside a laundry basket and made herself cozy in clean pinstripe blue pajama bottoms and a baggy, gray sweatshirt. Despite having recently showered, Eden knew she'd be cleaning herself again quite shortly. It may seem silly, but she still felt the essence of her former environment, sticking to her skin. Her shower had been a blessing, of course, and she treated it as such because at the time, she was unsure when she'd be receiving her next one.

But now that she was in the comfort of her home, she wasn't going to deny cleaning herself again. With actual shampoo. And maybe trim her bangs and eyebrows as well as shave and lather herself with soap and scrub until her skin was a bright red.

Honestly, hygiene wasn't always such a troublesome issue for her. She showered once a day and washed her body with soap, grooming herself appropriately should the occasion call for it. Nothing overly extravagant like some women she saw in magazines that had had so many surgical procedures one didn't recognize them from the before and after images.

Now, however, she had the delirious urge to clean herself until she hiccupped bubbles. Whether this was a safe urge or not, remained to be seen. But, she didn't think it'd do much harm to follow through.

And before she could properly realize it, Eden was easing her way back into a former routine, prior to Khan's chaotic entrance into her life. It should have worried her slightly that the integration happened so swift, but when the alternative was to modify her lifestyle according to the worry she still felt thriving inside her (a lifestyle of partial paranoia and constant vigilance) she knew that for her sanity, the former was necessary.

And her routine wasn't anything overly difficult to fall into.

Wake up, clean, eat, shower, laze around the house, read, and follow whatever other impulse reached her. Though, she noted any activities that involved leaving her home, were met with uncertainty.

Because while it seemed like she met her motions effortlessly for the remainder of the day, a part of her couldn't help doing so without hesitation. Her body understood that she was no longer a kidnap victim, but her brain had a difficult time fully registering this. Possibly because she simply couldn't, no matter how much happiness flooded her, understand Khan's motivation for letting her go - a subject she'd debated at least once every hour.

She knew now it was intentional, though she didn't exactly have any proof. Only a gut feeling. And instead of feeling liberated, Eden was on edge. From her shower last evening to the present, she felt as if everything had moved so quickly that she'd been forced to act on impulse alone, leaving little room for analyzation.

Now that she had the time to stop and absorb all that had happened, she felt as if she were waiting for the other foot to drop, so to speak. That foot included finding out the consequence of having escaped Khan's clutches without incident.

Further disturbing was the voice in the back of her head, mocking her for even daring to call it an escape. Instead, it suggested everything had been a cruel experiment up to this point.

During these instances, she wanted to turn to alcohol and muffle that annoying voice. But, inebriation had the potential of making it worse. From the small amount of times she'd been drunk before, her feelings always led her to a somber state.

Internally, she applauded and metaphorically gave Khan the finger for his cleverness. He knew she would debate his action repeatedly rather than assume it was dumb luck. And in doing so, she recognized that while physically, she had escaped, mentally, it felt as if she never left that beat up house.

After evening had set in once more, she locked herself in the bathroom for a good two hours, dedicating a fair amount of time to making herself resemble a woman. In the midst of a warm shower, Eden reached a conclusion. A potentially idiotic conclusion, but one she felt the need to dedicate herself towards or else she would drive herself insane from the wondering.

Simply put, she was going to move on.

What did this entitle?

Well, attempting to forget what happened would be one part. And while it killed her to do this - no member of any species should be subjected to being treated as nothing more than a pet - she understood that if she let them, those memories would consume her in the worst way possible. She'd maintained confidence, sure, but being treated in a certain manner over a period of time - no matter how short - always held the possibility of implying that the treatment was plausible. And while Eden didn't think her self esteem was that low, to constantly remind herself that someone saw her nothing more than a pet, certainly didn't help her confidence any.

Another part of moving on, something she'd already begun, would be to settle back into a normal routine without showing trepidation. She wasn't sure how helpful this would be in the long run as emotions always had the potential to catch up with you, but normality would help steer her back into her old life.

The last part was actually rather self explanatory. She needed to be more aware of not only her surroundings, but people in general. Khan had scooped her off the street because she'd displaced the incident without any thought. Though, upon pondering it, she realized his goal wasn't actually preventable. He'd been intent on kidnapping her from the get go.

But to practice caution around people, even if she could be quite sociable should the occasion call for it, was a necessary action that would maintain her future safety.

One of the reasons Eden felt so committed to these goals was because the alternative - sulking and jumping at her own shadow and constantly worrying - would eat at her until she was bone. That wasn't something she took lightly.

So, while it may have seemed as if she were avoiding the issue of what exactly happened the night before, Eden managed to convince a good sized portion of her brain that moving on was the only reasonable step to take.

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**Is Khan going to return? Will Eden move on? Why am I asking you all these questions? We shall see. Dun-dun-dun. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, here's part II. Yay! Definitely more action coming up because Eden's life simply can't be completely conflict free. Enjoy, my dears!**

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**Chapter 8 - Part II**

An astonishing three full days passed by before Eden's bubble of normalcy received its first rupture. Actually, she liked to think the incident was unexpected (and in a way, it was), but honestly, by this point, she'd accepted something was coming to stir up trouble in her life. Another gut instinct and one she would feel decidedly idiotic in ignoring.

It was mid-afternoon and she'd been tinkering with her second generation, electric answering machine. The London shops now sold the sixth generation one in the series and it took a considerable amount of persistent calling to the company to find someone who could help her rewire the device so her voice messages could be heard without static interference. The machine was the only way potential employers could get in contact with her. Which would be very nice to hear. It'd be just another way of moving on.

She'd been in the middle of licking her spoon clean of strawberry yogurt, basking in the satisfaction of having fixed the stubborn machine to which she took to listening, when the rough, male, American voice cut through the air like lightning through a storm cloud.

He was the only message on her machine, left six days ago.

_My name is Lucas Razmey and I am calling on behalf of the International Justice Bureau, stationed in New York. No need to feel alarmed as our business can be cleared up by a simple conversation regarding your known contact and possible association with former Starfleet Officer, John Harrison. My curiosity is purely recreational and whatever information you hold, no matter how seemingly insignificant, will be highly appreciated and valued. I look forward to speaking with you within seven days, Miss Callum. Thank you for your time._

The ending beep echoed dully through her dining room, mesmerizing her until she was able to finally thaw out of her frozen shock.

Almost violently, she moved to the phone, fingers smacking in the number of the IJB. Numerous bits of information had been revealed within the message, but her main focus was on Khan.

They knew his alias name and that they'd been in contact.

Which should have been great. She'd be able to confide her information about him to a possible ally. They certainly had the resources to imprison him, should they believe her story.

However, Eden had listened to the message cautiously and in between the carefully placed words, she noted something unsettling. Well, multiple unsettling things, but this was the most glaring.

The IJB almost sounded as if they suspected her of aiding Khan.

It wasn't easy to detect at first. Razmey made it even sound like she had a choice in contacting him and that what she knew would be confidential.

But Eden knew better.

The IJB was one of the last all human departments existing on the planet, primarily in the States. And within its century history, notoriety was rampant, mainly because their head people could be considered modern day bigots. She'd read a court case a year or so ago in which a Romulan attempted to gain entry to the department. He'd been as honest and sympathetic towards humans as they came (sympathetic Romulans were about as common as friendly Klingons), but the department rejected him because while he shared the needed trait of understanding, he was not a human himself.

There had been outrage by the ruling, but through some legal loophole, the IJB ended up having the right to decline him. The details of the decision weren't all too clear to the public, but from then on, Eden held an unfavorable impression of the department.

On top of that, she felt they took their role too seriously at times.

Loosely speaking, some would call the IJB Earth's police force, even though other departments - such as Starfleet - easily wielded greater power. But that didn't mean they weren't unable to have a hand in international affairs. Any and all data was accessable to them via any technological device they saw fit and if they had enough evidence, a court could hear the case they'd built.

As the line began to ring, Eden reached the unhappy conclusion that she was more fearful of the IJB getting in contact with her than relieved they might be able to solve her Khan problem.

"He was in Starfleet."

She mulled over the voiced statement, curiosity piquing. What was a centuries old superhuman, doing in Starfleet? An officer, no less. Didn't they know he was ungodly dangerous, psychotic, and violent?

This thought was interrupted by her brain's reminder that they saw him as John Harrison, not Khan. He was excellent at disguising his true intentions. Of course he'd be able to gain intel and rank there if he played the right part.

But that begged the question: why?

He was smart. Brilliant, really. Maybe he played a larger role in Starfleet than just an officer.

She caught Razmey using a form of past tense, indicating that Khan was no longer in alliance with Starfleet. She could think a number of reasons as to why the madman would decide to sever ties with them, ranging from having learned what he'd initially sought to gain all the way to them finding out what he was and wanting to contain him before he merged with the general populace.

Eden wanted to sit down and process this information one at a time, but her legs were insistent on remaining straight and alert.

Right now, she needed to get this conversation out of the way. Razmey had given her a week to call back and she was on day number six. The last thing she needed was a visit from him or someone from the IJB, at her door. At least through the phone, she didn't have to maintain her facial expressions.

Before someone finally picked up, Eden's last thought circled around what Khan was doing in London in the first place if Starfleet Headquarters were in San Francisco. Granted, Starfleet bases were all across the planet, but if Khan had been planning something big, she assumed he'd want to be where all the action was. Then again, what she knew of Starfleet was only from books. She wasn't exactly sure how they operated or which base was in charge of developing what.

She did know that their meeting had been pure coincidence and that he'd been in the city for sometime prior to it because he had fit in so well. And while a part of her knew she shouldn't be so drawn into his business, she couldn't help it. He'd been such a mystery to her up to this point.

Now, she had the possibility of gaining some insight about the man that might help her in the long run. She wasn't exactly in the mood to turn it down, even if it involved dedicating her time and thought to deciphering the difference between what John Harrison wanted and what Khan wanted, or if their desires were one in the same.

"Hi," Eden began, throwing in a bit of false cheer in her voice once a woman greeted her, "I'd like to speak to Lucas Razmey from the New York IJB division."

"Their office takes calls from eight to-."

"My name is Eden Callum," she inserted. "I was told to call back within seven days."

There was a pause on the other end to which she guessed they were checking in on her claim.

"I'll put you through," the woman affirmed.

Nodding, Eden pressed the phone tighter to her ear, legs beginning a mindless pace.

"This is Lucas Razmey."

"Hello, Mr. Razmey. My name is Eden Callum. You contacted me six days ago."

"Yes, of course. How are you this afternoon?"

His casual tone sounded wrong considering the real nature of their conversation.

"I'm alright as can be."

"Ah, well I do hear London weather can be gloomy."

While she was prepared for it, it still didn't sit well with her that he knew her current location.

"You called about my run in with John Harrison," Eden elaborated, suddenly unsure as to how to go about professionally with the conversation.

What she did know was that if they somehow got the idea she was aiding him, not only would she be in monumental trouble, but her story would never be believed.

Though, she wasn't sure if the IJB held the proper empathy to care. So far, it seemed they only had eyes for catching Khan.

"I did. And I must say...you certainly held your own in his presence. It took a good two minutes for him to recover after you left the library."

Swallowing, Eden nervously smiled. At least she knew how they'd gotten their information.

"You saw our run in through the cameras."

"All caught, yes," he confessed. "We were not able to discern the nature of your conversation, but rest assured that he is a highly dangerous individual and you were brave to have not trusted whatever it was he said to you. I only have a few questions, really. The first being whether you have seen John Harrison since your encounter with him in the library?"

She relaxed ever so slightly. Maybe they didn't know as much as she thought they did.

Upon opening her mouth, however, she realized she was at a loss of what to say.

If she said no, they might think her only a victim of circumstance and leave her alone. A definite plus and they wouldn't gain the idea she was helping him. Even though the answer itself would be a help to Khan because she'd be withholding potentially valuable information.

But how important was what she knew already? From what she'd picked up in his presence, Khan hadn't mentioned anything that could potentially be self incriminating or a master plan of sorts. He only revealed what he wanted to, none of which really directed his intentions.

The consequences of saying yes were worse. They could gain the notion that she was aiding him, disregard her story completely, and jail her. And though this seemed a bit drastic, if the IJB was involved in Starfleet affairs, then their initiative to get Khan was big. Saying yes might unleash a can of worms she wasn't prepared to swallow.

"I have not seen him since that night, no," Eden admitted. "But I'm still kind of jumpy. He's not a difficult man to forget."

There was a tense silence for a few seconds.

"You are sure?"

She disregarded her panic at the distrust in his voice.

"I knelt him in the crotch, Mr. Razmey. Do you really think he'd let me live if we were to run into each other again?"

"No," he laughed, "I suppose this entire conversation would be highly unlikely. What do you know about John Harrison?"

"Nothing, really. He approached me in the library and asked if I would help him with a task he refused to elaborate on. Immediately, I thought that kind of suspicious, but he was charming. Normal, even. I'd been half tempted to go with him, but he was still practically a stranger. It didn't matter how comfortable I was in his presence. I wasn't going to go gallivanting with a random man to who knows where."

"He never revealed what it was he wished from you?"

"Nope. Though, I got the idea it might have been sexual. What do you think?"

This time, she deliberately misled him. The more ignorant she sounded, the better off she'd be.

"I highly doubt that."

"I'll try not to consider that an insult."

"My apologies, Miss Callum. I'm only attempting to discern this man's whereabouts."

"May I ask what it is he has done? Or would it be better not knowing?"

"That, unfortunately, is highly classified information. Nothing personal, I assure you."

She would have laughed had the receiver not been at her ear. He'd basically told her nicely that it was none of her business. And knowing what she did about Khan, she thought the answer was rather deceiving. Shouldn't a citizen know the danger they may or may not be in?

"I wish I could help you more with locating John Harrison. I feel bad that I had him right in front of me and I didn't even know he was a fugitive."

"How is it you are aware he is a fugitive?"

She nearly smacked herself in the face for her slip of the tongue.

"I'm not completely stupid," she covered up. "The IJB is asking around for a former Starfleet Officer who I now know is a dangerous individual. There are some problems you don't need to add for them to make sense. Though, I understand if you want to keep this hush-hush. Sailor's promise, I won't say a word."

"Sailor's promise?"

"It's...an old saying."

This time, her nervous laughter worked in her favor.

"Well...thank you, Miss Callum, for returning my call. You information will help catch this man."

"Do you think...he'll come after me now that I've had this talk with you?"

Paranoia certainly didn't hurt to throw in since she had been experiencing her fair share of it.

"I highly doubt it. He had his chance to harm you. I believe he's moved on."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"Though, I want to ask...what did he say to you that elicited such a defensive reaction?"

She couldn't determine if he was naturally curious or if this was a trick question.

"After I declined his offer, he told me I was a useless human girl he wouldn't mind taking out of this world. I get the useless part, but I don't understand why he had to throw in my humanity, you know? He's human too! Idiot!"

She appeared to hit the final nail in the coffin with her petulant complaint.

"Yes, well some individuals do not react kindly to being challenged. Think nothing of it as you were very useful today. Enjoy your evening, Miss Callum."

"You as well, Mr. Razmey. Call me if there's anything you need."

"Thank you. I will."

And with that, the tone went dead and Eden's legs gave out. Thankfully, the couch absorbed her form. But it certainly couldn't do anything about slowing the thumping of her pulse.

"I just alibied the man who kidnapped me," she sounded out. "I lied to a major justice department about seeing him."

Strangely enough, she wasn't taking this as guiltily as she thought she would. It was obvious now that he had a plan and her mood increased somewhat when acknowledging that perhaps he really had set her aside in order to pursue it. He'd mentioned once in the basement that she was a challenge he was running out of time to accept. Maybe time had run out.

Then, of course, he'd shut down when she asked what he was planning on doing.

That's when doubt crept in. Was it possible that this information might have potentially been valuable?

No, she didn't see how. She didn't even know what it was he wanted to do. Only that Starfleet was looking for him and they were partnering up with other departments to help with their search.

It didn't occur to her until much later in the evening, as she hadn't moved from the couch for a good three hours, how risky it was of him to kidnap her. And keep her as long as he did. If there were as many people looking for him as she believed there to be, then taking her definitely wasn't a wise decision. Even if his instincts were going haywire, were she in his position, she'd ignore them and continue running.

Her mood soured slightly, but she didn't exactly know why.

She relocated from the couch to her bed before she could think too deeply on it, however.

/./././././././././

"You whimper in your sleep."

Eden's eyes sprung open, adjusting to the early morning where the sun hadn't quite yet broken through her shades, but dim, white light somehow stretched through the room.

She recognized the voice, of course. And a part of her, however reluctantly, knew she'd be hearing it again.

But, her real issue was that she didn't know where it was coming from.

"I know you are awake"

Now she knew why her heart was beating wildly. The voice had come from behind her.

At the moment, she was facing the opposite wall, lying on her side.

Which meant-

Ever so leisurely, Eden shifted onto her back. While her body remained in that position, her head turned to her left.

He had the side of his head propped up on a palm, lying sideways as well. She probably would have felt more fear if his body was beneath the sheets or blankets, but luckily, he gave her at least some semblance of decency and reclined atop them.

It was obvious he was waiting for her to say something, but Eden didn't exactly have an idea of how to start a conversation when finding your former kidnapper in bed with you.

That sounded far more perverse in her head as well.

Instead of showcasing shock (which she really didn't feel to its full extent), Eden settled on honesty.

"What took you so long?"

He appeared satisfied with the answer, the corner of one lip rising.

"Prior engagements called for my attention," was his cryptic response, deep voice seeming to subdue the panic she'd been feeling.

"Why did you let me escape?"

His satisfaction was more prominent this time. Or maybe she just knew him that well.

"I was bored. And curious as to how you would handle your freedom."

The answer angered her, but again, she wasn't overly shocked. She'd determined as much.

"You're a fugitive. Starfleet and the IJB are looking for you."

"Among many others, yes. And yet, you told them we had no further affiliation. Why?"

His gaze grew hard at this, searching her intensely. She didn't bother asking how he knew she'd contacted Razmey. She was sure he had his ways.

"I was afraid they wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth. And that they'd think I was aiding you."

"Why would they believe that?"

"You haven't killed me yet. If I'm still alive, then I'm of some importance. They'd recognize that and assume the worst. Plus, I really don't know anything. Why be dragged to a police station just to confess that?"

"You know more than most."

"But I don't know what your plans are. That's what they want to know. They wouldn't believe that their number one fugitive is actually busy attempting to seduce a teenage girl because he's feeling primally turned on by her."

"You've observed your situation from all angles, haven't you?"

"Don't remind me. It makes me hate you even more."

"I would think reluctant admiration made a brief appearance at my cleverness."

"Each time it did, I hated myself further. You have no idea how frustrating this is. Well, you don't care because you're responsible for it. But I'll never be able to talk about being kidnapped without somebody questioning whether I'm lying."

"As it should be. Why allow foreign ears into business that is strictly ours alone?"

"I-."

She didn't have a response and this didn't exactly please her.

"Get out of my bed."

"And miss such an opportune moment to witness you at your most vulnerable? Never. As I stated before, you whimper in your sleep. Why is that?"

"I probably knew, subconsciously, that you were in bed with me."

"So they were whimpers of pleasure?"

"I don't think you know what those sound like."

"Are you willing to wager your dignity to find out?"

Again, she quieted down. The answer was no. No, she was not.

For a few seconds, they laid there in peace. No speaking. No threats. Just silence and eye contact.

Eden had to admit that now physically seeing Khan, eased her mind a great deal. There was a part of her that always assumed he'd come back, no matter how insistently she tried battling it away. Now that he had, she wasn't so on edge anymore. If anything, she was a little more prepared for the encounter.

"We will be relocating soon."

"Another basement?" she guessed.

"Preferably not. Enjoy your day tomorrow. It will be your last in this house."

This time, her surprise was genuine.

"Informing me beforehand that you're planning my abduction? Not happening. I'm staying here."

"I always find it amusing that you seem to think you have a choice in my decisions."

"I'll go to the authorities," she threatened, hating how weak the threat sounded.

His expression unsettled her.

"Rest assured their focus will be otherwise...engaged. And why waste unnecessary lives when you can willingly come with me and spare them?"

In that statement, she knew without a doubt that he'd been serious on his threat.

"How are you going to balance your plans with what you're attempting to do to me?"

"I understand humans are repulsively one track minded, but I am a complex enough being to focus on multiple tasks at once."

"I don't think you are."

"Your attempts at dissuading me from taking you, are pointless."

She didn't know how to feel about knowing this time around that he was taking her with him. On the bright side, at least she had a heads up. On the not so bright side, he had absolutely no right to keep doing this to her.

"Where are we going?"

"Unimportant."

"Why are we relocating?"

"Convenience."

"Do you really think my mind will change about submitting to you? Once again, you're taking me without my consent, somewhere I don't even know yet, so you can continue to make me feel dirty and uncomfortable. In this plan of yours, where does me accepting your touch, come in?"

Instead of answering this, he redirected the topic. Unhappily, may she add. The dark look on his face, especially up close, made her want to go hide in the bathroom.

"You have not been entirely truthful with me."

"Good. I should hope I'm smart enough not to be."

His glare told her he wasn't in the mood for humor.

"You informed me days ago in the kitchen that you were in the lower class system of your society."

As soon as he began the statement, she had an uneasy feeling she knew where he was headed. Though, how he would know without having dug around, was beyond her.

"I identified myself with it and choose to remain there because I'm happier," Eden confirmed.

"And yet," Khan noted, "you are exceptionally wealthy."

"What makes you think that?"

"Your bank account," he answered easily. "It was understandably difficult for me to accept the oppressive life you've become accustomed to despite your knowledge and manner of speaking. So, I engaged in research. Remarkable how weak and pliable your people's computer defenses are. But that being beside the point, I am sure you are aware there sits enough money in your account, most likely your family's inheritance passing over, to last you through five lifetimes."

She blinked, unsure of what to say or how to feel. Upset, probably. The fact that he'd been able to even check out her bank account in the first place, signified that she may need to switch to a different bank. And the fact that he pursued his curiosity to such a point simply because he thought she should be living at her potential...stirred unfathomable feelings inside her.

"Should I get...desperate," she carefully worded, wondering why she was explaining this to him in the first place, "then I'll use it. Otherwise, I've gotten along fine."

"Or there is a point you wish to prove to yourself. Or someone else."

Now, her anger flared.

"Stop this conversation while you're ahead. You're not going to like me if you push it."

"Your mother, I assume?" he ignored, shifting his head closer to her. "Out of both providers, she was the wealthier one. Did she often claim money to be the only possession that mattered? If so, she was a repugnant woman. It sheds light on why you settle for less than what you could possibly have and dedicate your time to building a firm mind."

"I'm happy the way I am. She has nothing to do with this."

But Eden was fighting a losing battle. Khan had brushed far too close to the truth and he knew it.

"Then I am relieved you are happy with surviving on such meager portions. It will make this next information less agonizing to hear."

"I doubt it. Let me guess...you took some?"

"Actually, I extracted it all. I believe the modern term would be...draining your account. Not to worry as this wasn't to serve my own purpose. The money is gone, where it went, I hardly care. But, this act was one of assurance. I will be leaving you alone for a short time and when a pet knows it is being cornered, it will do whatever possible to escape its' surroundings. I will not have the time nor patience to chase you once my task is complete. In this way, your compliance will be immediate."

Eden froze, eyes stuck on Khan's face.

"You did not."

"I did. Though, it is all petty in the end. I much prefer th-."

She attacked him.

One moment, Eden was lying on her back, gaping at him. The next, her hands were going for his throat, knees for his stomach, and skull flying at his own.

It wasn't the fact that he had just taken all her money, that infuriated her. Often, she thought of keeping it frozen and beginning a life only on her own earnings.

No, what angered her enough to attack him was why he did it. And she supposed there was some fear fueling her attack. Because what it came down to was that he didn't want her to run away again. And in turn, he cut off her means of doing so. That way, when he finally was ready to take her to wherever they were going, she'd be utterly and completely dependent on him for everything.

It was such a sneaky plan that she hadn't even registered the most important part.

He wanted a physical reaction.

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**Bastard, isn't he? As the second film events grow closer and closer, one must wonder how he'll manage to pursue vengeance as well as Eden's submission. Let's hope he actually can multi-task like he says. And yes...Eden's rich, but doesn't usually touch a cent of it. Which means she's got mommy issues. Maybe I'll explore them. Well, next chapter will certainly have some exploration ;). Let me know your thoughts in a review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all infinitely for your wonderous, amazing, beautiful reviews! And for staying patient. That's a key. I know with the ending of last chapter, things could have gone either way. I'm content with this chapter, though it may not be as some of you expected. Which I'll get to at the note down at the bottom. Oh, and my very first laptop is coming sometime this week! Which equals, hopefully, more frequent and convenient writing as well as updates. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9**

In a matter of seconds, Eden learned just how terrible of an idea it is to attack someone while still tangled beneath the sheets of a bed. Especially when they are ABOVE said sheets. And are expecting your attack. And could easily overpower you.

Impulsion by nature definitely had its set backs. Thinking things through was one of them.

"Get off of me!"

She tried to buck away his weight, but that did little more than make him smirk.

In a matter of two seconds, he'd managed to pin her into the bed, climb atop so his hips dug dangerously - crudely - into her own, and restrain her wrists on either side of the pillow, allowing him not only to keep her from clawing him, but to invade her personal space as closely as he so wished.

And from the expression he wore, it definitely appeared he so wished.

In the early dawn of morning, Khan epitomized a troubling mix of darkness and carnality. The burning in his greenish gaze, kicked her heart rate up violently. The satisfaction twisted in his tilted, full lips, scorched her insides like a hellish fire. And the assuredness in which he held himself above her, made her bottom lip want to quiver in surrender.

Before her lurked a man more primal than intellectual.

And she wished desperately that these warning signs could have given her reason to shut up. Primal Khan was here. No need to further spur him on.

However, her anger wasn't so easily extinguished this time around, even if her breaths were beginning to grow heavier from his weight. The psychopath had just drained her bank account in hopes of stealing her self-dependency and prevent an escape. Not exactly an incident she'd sweep under the carpet and leave alone.

"Khan...get off!" she yelped, throwing her hips up once more.

It felt like he weighed ten times her own body weight. And knowing that it was most likely all muscle, made her struggle for breaths harder.

He momentarily froze her in place by slowly baring his teeth; oddly reminiscent of an animal in the midst of succumbing to aggression or a lack of patience.

She knew from a glance that it was the latter.

Ever so leisurely, however, he released a controlled breath, marble teeth disappearing beneath his upper lip.

"I suggest you..._discontinue _your efforts of struggling," he mentioned darkly. "As I find myself...enjoying them very much."

The anger inside her refused to be bullied, even when the heat between their bodies grew toasty enough to ignite a flame. Her body wasn't so much sweaty as it felt prickly with that electricity she'd been a victim of in the basement, seconds before she'd ran her hand through his hair.

And damn it, that only incensed her further.

"I should have told the IJB everything," she spat, propelling herself forward. "I should have alerted the whole city!"

He restrained her with an unnatural ease, mood darkening in response to her lower body flying into his own.

"Yes, but you changed your mind," he reminded, inching his head down toward her own. "You ignored your chance at safety when it came. Do not place blame on me when your own choices led you here."

"My own choices?" she shrieked, tugging her wrists furiously against his hold. "You started this whole game! And are continuing it because you are ungodly unstable and I happened to be the poor girl you ran into."

Somewhere in the back of her head, Eden knew that his carefully inhaled breath was for her benefit.

"I find myself wondering," he began tersely, eyes squinted, "why it is you rebel like a caged animal, against the unknown. I claimed you in the library as my own. _Mine_."

He glared at her after this, seemingly wanting her to verbally acknowledge it.

When she only stared back, he continued, "And yet you purposefully remain ignorant regarding your place and what it entitles."

"It's a brand," she objected, eyes narrowed, "an act of ownership. I am not a pet. I'm human and claiming me doesn't give you the right to throw me into a dark room and keep me away from the world."

"As if the alternative was any better," he snarled lowly. "You needed to know that normality and inane pursuits of fitting into your society, would no longer be what your life consisted of-."

"-and you did that by kidnapping me? There are other ways you could have gone about it!" she nearly screamed, body shaking with pent up fury. "I like normality and I loved my life before you bulldozed your way into it. Why couldn't you have just left me al-?"

"Do not finish that sentence. Do _not_," he threatened, glaring at her dangerously. "I am not required to constantly re-explain my actions just because a pathetic little human doesn't hold the intellectual capacity to accept or understand her situation."

To his credit, Khan paused after the insult, closing his eyes, features slipping briefly from their intensity.

But just as quickly, the pensiveness vanished and his bright eyes were fenced off from readability.

Eden didn't know exactly why she felt...appeased by his momentary hesitation. Or why she interpreted his raw reaction as partial regret. He could have just faked it for her benefit.

Then again, sometime ago, she inadvertently began seeing him as impulsive. For certain things, at least.

Yes, yes. Damn her accommodating nature to hell.

His reaction had been too quick and careless to be properly planned beforehand. Implying that some part of him, no matter how infinitely tiny, held an inkling of regret for having insulted her once again.

She didn't know how to respond, suddenly unsure as to what kind of anger should combat her emotions. That glimpse had taken her off guard.

Then, out of nowhere, Khan's anger all but drained from his face. Frighteningly fast.

Which could have had something to do with his eyes roaming down to her chest.

Realistically, it heaved so harshly because of a combination of his weight and her own fury.

But it didn't appear that her former captor saw it from this angle, that angle being a part of the problem.

Plain and simple, her breasts, clothed by a thin cotton t-shirt, were jutting out at him in a rhythmically set (and unavoidable, especially with the look he aimed down) pace.

And from her position, she could tell he certainly wasn't being discreet in his observation.

The gulp shot down her throat out of nowhere and rather unexpectedly, Eden felt her own anger begin to disperse, making way for anxiety.

"Why...are you staring?" she asked awkwardly.

She needed to be sure of what she was seeing on his face before she began panicking.

"I am imagining what I wish to do to them."

He said it strictly, but the meaning wasn't lost on her. In fact, it was oddly human, his lustful staring.

What unnerved her, however, was the lack of immediate repulsion she should have felt upon acknowledging once more that he found her desirable.

She waited for it. And waited. As her tummy turned, doing flip flops and hand stands and cartwheels and general somersaults, she waited with remarkable patience for that disgust to hit her.

But what filled her instead was...warm and exciting, turning her worried frown into a light half-smile of satisfaction. Her body relayed to her brain that they were currently making an intellectually superior, physically unstoppable, and ruthlessly handsome superhuman, speechless and aroused.

Where was the downside in that?

There was, of course, a downside. Because in all honesty, one of the reasons a primal Khan terrified Eden so much was because of his unpredictability. Who knew where his primality would lead him?

But then that begged the question...had he been right in insulting her fear of the unknown? She thought not, but in some aspects, familiarity was her prefered method of living.

It took a few steady blinks before she realized Khan's gaze had flickered back up.

"Why are you so unaffected by this nearness?"

"I hate you too much to let it affect me," she answered, surprised by his question while tweaking the truth ever so slightly.

"I have accepted your unfortunate origins," he pointed out, as if it were a courageous accomplishment.

"It's...not your origins I can't get past," she tiredly remarked, wanting to laugh at his absurd justification, but keeping it back. "It's the fact that you are a terrible person who does terrible things to get what he wants. That sort of personality can be found in any species, regardless of mental and physical abilities."

He didn't respond, eying her impassively.

His breathing was done calmly through his nostrils and this further served to alienate her from determining what was going on in his head. Did she make primal Khan disappear or was he biding his time?

"As I mentioned before," he finally answered, "hate can be overlooked."

"That, I doubt."

As soon as she said it, she knew she shouldn't have. It was one of those mindless statements that shifted the control back into Khan's hands.

"Perhaps an experiment is in order."

"No-."

Her protest was cut short when he drove his hips forward.

She tried not to react to the contact, but at this point, she still hadn't yet mastered the art of remaining unaffected each time Khan's anatomy decided to press its way into her thigh.

"I am curious if you are even aware of the pleasure I could bring you. Considering the undesirables you've had before me, it is not likely," he affirmed, voice suddenly gaining back its intensity. "Did you know that when the female body is shown the proper attention-."

One hand left her wrist and grabbed onto the sheet between them, tugging it down roughly, bunching it up at her abdomen. Any further and their bodies were all but fused together.

Eden was too busy still trying to get accustomed to the feeling of him against her flesh (and again, the lack of disgust), so she didn't utilize her free limb immediately.

"-it will respond with..._eagerness."_

His cool fingers skimmed the tendons in her neck, almost teasingly, eyes burning his intended pathway. He continued to weave down playfully to her collarbone, fingernails brushing across the bone before all five fingers splayed out over the flesh possessively.

Though Eden had experience in her share of sexual activities, none came close to the sensation of electricity humming in her veins just from his touch alone.

Granted, this was new for her and Khan had been planning her submission for a few weeks now. Her inexperience and his knowledge should have alerted her that it wouldn't feel completely displeasing.

But nothing prepared her for the urge to lean into his touch and close her eyes.

Foolishly, she had assumed that when he touched her, such revulsion would wash over her that she might consider barfing. A definite possibility within the first week in the basement.

But now, their situation had shifted to something even she didn't have a proper term for, and Eden had a difficult time convincing her body that lust wasn't a suitable replacement for hate.

Or did she hate him completely?

She thought he did.

But was it possible to hate someone so severely and yet still respond to their touch?

Eden hated the indecision greatly. Something she was sure Khan intentionally steered her towards. And the firmer his touches grew, the harder of a time she had distinguishing which road to pursue.

Mind or body?

"Allow yourself a moment's...indulgence," he breathed, voice deeper and less controlled than she'd ever heard it. "Rebellion is destruction, submission is _freedom_."

His voice was near hypnotizing and after having caged her anger for good, he deposited an emotion with his words that made the inside of her tummy boil like an unstable kettle of tea.

"Get off," she defiantly pressed, forcibly maintaining eye contact with his throat. She feared what would happen to her intellect should she meet the intensity currently brewing in his gaze.

"No."

And before she could protest, his head sank into the juncture between jaw and collarbone.

Seconds later and the unexpected pressure of warm lips were felt against the shivering skin of her neck.

Eden jerked, but Khan only dug his hips deeper into her own, keeping her immobile while his lips continued their exploration.

She mouthed the word 'stop', but it didn't make it past her teeth. Worse still, she had no idea if she wanted it to. The contact was so different than what she had expected. So much more...consuming.

Though she felt faintly crushed by his body, it was a pleasant weight because his hips, every so often, would rock languidly into hers, causing her vision to blacken from the contact and her breath to hitch midway up her throat. His mouth, capable of rash manipulation and threats, kissed and licked at her skin like a dehydrated man craving water.

Perhaps out of everything, it was Khan's lack of aggression that blindsided her. She had expected him to be demanding and uncaring, but his manner of touch from both fingers and lips, indicated that he wanted to take his time with her; the last thing she had expected out of such a dangerous individual.

All too soon, his mouth began descending from her neck, tongue trailing a scorching blaze she was sure would be tattooed into her skin. And upon reaching her collarbone, he bit down, not overly harsh, but enough to test her response.

Her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip.

Hard.

But this must have been the response he was waiting for because she felt him smile against her skin.

It was when his large hands, abandoning her useless wrists altogether, began to claw at her t-shirt, one having slipped beneath her back while the other slithered down between their stomachs, that Eden's brain began swatting at the cloud of lust sheltering itself in her head.

"Khan-."

She hadn't planned on sounding so out of breath and the man immediately stopped, mouth hovering centimeters away from the skin he'd lathered wet and red.

"Say it again," came his demand, voice carrying at such a baritone sound that it made her legs shake.

"Say wha-."

"My name," he repeated, somehow managing to press himself even closer to her. "Say it, _again_."

There lay no room for disobedience in his tone. And yet, her compliance risked something dangerous to form.

"Stop kissing me and I will."

His head lifted high enough to meet her eyes, noses nearly touching.

"Why would I stop when your body is so willing?"

She knew the primal side of him asked this, but he paired it by sounding ruthless; a trait of his normal self.

"Because...this is too fast and I'm not ready."

He looked annoyed at this.

"That answer is not nearly sufficient enough to keep me from burying myself inside you," he explained carefully, a lock of his normally swept back hair, bending between them. "Attempt once more to persuade me. And this time, I dearly hope it is convincing enough to appeal to my mind as there is..._little_ more than a disintegrating discipline which is allowing me to not tear your clothes from your body."

Understanding the gravity of her situation, Eden worked on keeping herself calm. Struggling would excite him and saying something stupid would deafen him to her defense.

"Your experiment worked," she acknowledged weakly, at a loss of what could possibly appeal to his logic. "I'm not as unaffected as we both thought. Actually, I am very affected. But taking me now will only make me hate you more because once again, I feel like you pushed this on me by giving me no option to get...away."

He went from annoyed to irate.

"That was the point."

She didn't bother hiding her confusion and in response, Khan seemed to gather himself just a little bit.

"I intended to finally take your body today. Nevermind your inability to escape or your hate. Each would be overrun by lust. So, I fail to see how it was forced when you responded so naturally, as I knew you would."

Ignoring the fact that having sex with her was actually premeditated, Eden focused on his latter statement.

"You failing to see it only reinforces my point. Yes, you touching me felt good. I'm not going to be stupid enough to deny that. But you had to provoke me to physically attack you before practically suffocating me just so I couldn't fight back, before making your intentions clear. Then, and only then, did you start touching me. It felt good, but I should hope you're smart enough to know that having sex consists of TWO people, not one. And they are generally affectionate towards each other, not confused and torn between hate and lust."

Her confidence gained strength upon seeing his anger blotting out the former hunger in his expression, though she knew not to be thankful yet. Primal Khan was still in there, as obvious by the digging into her inner thigh.

"Today is when your body must be submitted."

"Why not when we relocate?"

He didn't answer and this unsettled her. His lack of elaboration on where he was dragging her next, made her worried she wasn't going to survive the encounter. Especially with nearly every major department of the planet after him.

"It will not be...possible."

"Why?"

She had a hard time believing she was inquiring as to why they couldn't have sex later on. Then again, if this was to prevent the sex they would have now, then so be it. Later on, at least, she would be better prepared to battle of his advances. Now that she had a bite of reality and understood she wasn't as immune to his physical self as she thought.

Instead of answering her, his head disappeared again, mouth back to exploring her neck.

But they knew simultaneously that the moment had passed for her submission, especially since his mouth wasn't as engaged as it'd been before.

Then again, she wasn't the one with an erection.

When he unexpectedly nipped at her neck, directly beside her pulse point, Eden grabbed at the back of Khan's head, attempting to pull him away from her skin.

While it had been slightly pleasant, it hurt more than anything.

Her grip tightened when he nipped her again and when he held on, she tried pulling him back by the roots of his hair.

To humor her (she doubted she had the strength to keep him from doing anything to her) Khan lifted his head so she could see the black frustration in his eyes.

She bit down on the urge to apologize. Making men frustrated and then refusing their advances, wasn't exactly a common activity of hers.

But his next statement obscured all feelings of guilt and apology.

"I will spare your body for today," he announced evenly enough, though she got the impression he'd be awfully sore with her for a little while. "But a lesson is in order regarding who it is you belong to."

"I belong to myself," she repeated firmly.

"Amusing, but inaccurate. Shall I prove it to you?"

She didn't get the chance to say no because his head dipped to her neck seconds later, mouth attaching to the skin. In an instant, pain sliced through her as his teeth bit down hard enough to draw blood.

Both of her hands were tugging helplessly at his black hair, hoping to stop the burning.

In response to the hair pulling, he ended up groaning. A low, guttural, violent sound she could feel through her own body and miraculously enough, still managed to fire up her insides.

At this point, Eden inaudibly reminded herself that she and her body would have to have a good, long talk about what was allowed to turn her on and what wasn't.

And then, quite suddenly, the burning lessened, only to be replaced by his warm mouth and tongue that sucked and lathered the bite attentively, and if she looked into it too much, almost protectively.

It was with this mixed feeling of excitement and soreness that Eden understood what he'd just done. And God help her if she wasn't just that much more confused.

* * *

**They didn't have sex. Something I don't want at this point in the story. But from here on out, there will definitely be more physical intimacy, though not all at once. Eden has just acknowledged that she doesn't find Khan's touches repulsive. That's a huge milestone. But in response to getting him hot and bothered and then not wanting to continue, he decides to get back at her by marking her. What a stable relationship, eh? And fear not, once Eden's lust lessens, she'll remember just how upset she is about what he did to her in the previous chapter. Let me know your thoughts in a review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I heavily apologize about how late this chapter came out. It was being written in bits and pieces, but I wasn't happy with it at all so I sort of let it rest for a few weeks. Still not entirely content, but I don't want anyone to think I was abandoning this baby before it even got to the good part. So, thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter or have reminded me that you're still there, waiting for this. It may not make up for the lost time, but I hope you enjoy regardless.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Quit touching it."

Eden studiously ignored Khan's command, the tips of her fingers pressing firmly into the raw, oval-shaped wound. Though the bleeding had ended minutes ago, she ventured a guess that if she picked at the area long enough with her nails, in particular where his teeth had indented themselves, it would reopen. And while not a lot of blood had managed to be spilled - mainly because the man behind her had licked it all away - she still worried about the ease at which it could begin bleeding again.

How awkward would it be to have to explain to a future employer why there was blood suddenly staining her neck?

"When do you reckon it'll go away?" she inquired evenly, containing, for the moment, the anger brewing inside her.

"Never," he assured, studying her closely in the mirror. "If it ever fades, I will make a new one."

She exhaled harshly through her nostrils, hand finally falling to rest on the sink.

"Was it really that important to mutilate me just to prove a point?"

"You view it as mutilation," he defended, "I view it as my natural right to mark you."

Containing her groan, Eden mumbled, "I should have expected an answer like that. But I'm still constantly surprised at how difficult it is for you to see reason."

"Reason is not the issue here," Khan proclaimed, taking a step forward in her already narrow bathroom. "The mark on your skin could have easily been avoided had you acknowledged that you were mine to begin with. Had you given in already and accepted your place as my pet. My people were never so foolishly stubborn as to think they could escape, much less deny their claim. They were eager and understanding of being bound to their superiors. Not petulant and irrational."

"Petulant and irrational?" she repeated, spinning around to face him. "I'm nineteen years old. Still practically a teenager! What'd you expect? A lonely, horny damsel in distress who would instantly recognize that your kidnapping was a sign of lust? Sorry to disappoint! And you're right. This mark could have been avoided. If you just give up with this annoying game you're playing with me and get the hell out of my life!"

"Control your tone," he warned, eyes narrowing.

"Control your hormones!"

A part of her was vaguely surprised he still maintained composure at her insult.

"If I was not in full control of them," Khan bit out darkly, "you would be the first to know. And believe me, it is taking my _full_ attention to control them. Do not make the mistake of believing I am remorseful for burying my teeth in your neck, then having that mark displayed back to me."

Her hand moved to cover up said mark, but Khan immediately noted the twitch in her arm.

"You will _**not** _cover it up."

"It's my body," she returned firmly.

"Wrong. It is _mine_. And if you ignore my demand, I will bind your hands together. Is that understood?"

She only glared back, lips sealed together.

"Is that understood?" he repeated once more, voice growing steely.

"I hear you perfectly, but it serves no point other than being a disturbing reminder of you."

"Are we only now catching on?" he sardonically inquired.

In retaliation to his mocking tone, Eden lifted her hand and clamped it firmly over the wound.

There, her mind triumphantly shouted. Deal with them apples.

"You could mark every inch of my skin, but my body still wouldn't be yours," she promised. "If it's not given willingly, it won't be given at all."

Not even a full ten seconds later and Eden acknowledged with a full bodied wince that being slammed up against a wall never seemed to get any easier. And that this time around, being reacquainted with Khan's body didn't serve up nearly the amount of pleasure it had before.

In his swift assault, Khan managed to successfully bury one of his knees in between her thighs as well as part her wobbly legs, leaving them open in a lude angle. His left hand ripped off the one covering his mark and pinned it violently to the wall behind her. As if that weren't enough, he made it a final point to wrap his opposite hand tightly around her neck, giving it a few testful squeezes to emphasize his absolute and unwavering strength.

When she attempted to swallow, it went down with great discomfort and only because he allowed it.

"You will submit."

No matter how many times he repeated that phrase, it always sounded as cold and uncompromising as before. And it provided her with the confidence she at any time may have lacked, to deny him.

"Not willingly," she gasped back, ignoring his burning gaze as her own strayed up to the ceiling.

"Willingness should not be something so worrisome," Khan sneered, bringing his lips further to her ear. "It sickens me to know that your race regards each other's feelings so timidly. Like spineless swine, constantly fawning over your egoistic pain."

His voice kept growing lower while his thumb around her throat, descended an inch so his lips could near the mark.

"If someone is yours," he all but rasped out, nearly molding himself into her, "you do _not_ wait for their consent. You take what is yours."

Eden's stomach dropped, but she forced herself to speak. The consequences of remaining silent weren't looking all to good at the moment.

"But we both know you want me willing," she whispered, struggling not to hyperventalate. "Remember, that's the game. That's the puzzle."

He considered her words with a deep exhale, head resting in the same position.

"You do not make the wait any easier."

Hesitating, Eden blinked rapidly through the growing heat in her body, deciding it'd be best to collect herself and not ruin this temporary moment of inactiveness on his part. While giving into her anger had been liberating, for as short of a time as it was, she had to accept - reluctantly - that it wasn't worth it.

If finally giving in to the beginning waves of her anger elicited such a hostile reaction from Khan (his massive hand slowly cutting off all oxygen in her lungs), she couldn't begin to wonder what he'd do if further pushed. And the more his rage surfaced, the clearer it became that it wasn't all that wise to keep on doing so.

But God, was that a difficult idea to accept. That she couldn't yell and defend herself because there would be potentially bone breaking consequences. Or that issues she still wanted to breach, such as him leaving her broke, would have to be discussed civilly rather than shouted.

Eden wanted to shout, damn it! She wanted to stomp her foot, punch him in the face, then repeat the steps all over again. Most importantly, she didn't want to be the civil minded person in the conversation. She wanted to give into her anger with the ease that Khan did. She certainly had the right to.

However, by now, was she not practically living by the mantra that Khan was unpredictable? Provoking him just because she needed to be exorcised of her anger was, logically at least, beginning to look less and less appealing.

Which made her wonder if it wasn't the ultimate battle between maturity and impulsion going on inside her.

While impulsion guaranteed that her stormy anger would be all but emptied, it didn't guarantee the physical shape in which she'd be left afterward.

Maturity, on the other hand, at least guaranteed survival with all her limbs attached.

It agitated her, it by no means was fair, it was forcing herself to adapt when she wasn't the one at fault, but if it kept her alive, Eden knew it needed to be done.

While her realizations hit her all in under a minute, the passiveness normally common to her, took a bit longer to spread through her body and stabilize her rampant emotions. In such a heated state, it wasn't where she could just wish for peace to wash over her and it'd happen. Rather, it took a good amount of battling away anger and dragging passiveness out by force, before a noticeable difference was made, particularly in body temperature.

Only when that passiveness finally began to outweigh her anger did she finally trust herself to speak.

"I never asked for this."

At her sobering tone, Khan's head inched back so he could meet her eyes.

"But," she continued, licking at her dry lips, "I'm handling you and your...claim...in a way so that I'm not untrue to myself. Which means I will be stubborn and difficult. Not because I get pleasure from it, but because you are a terrifying individual and to submit to you would be to lose not just my freedom, but who I am. I've tried to explain this to you a million different ways, but you can't get it into your head that what you're doing is wrong. So, what else do you want me to say?"

Her question was met with little reaction or response, so she continued.

"I don't want you, Khan. Or to give any part of myself to you, even if for a moment, it might give me bliss."

He appraised her with a frown, intensely and impersonally. As if she were a nuisance for speaking her words.

"However unlucky you may feel," he finally decided, tone icy, "suck it up. Because I intend to give every part of myself to you as you will eventually to me. No matter how unfair you think this, how much angst or injustice you suffer in your poor, teenage heart, accept this as reality. What follows may go easier for you."

"But I don't understand why it has to be me," she persisted. "Why did your body respond to mine when all you ever wanted to do was get me to have sex with you? Why not someone more willing or appealing? Or did you just need the challenge?"

"Your questions were my own in the beginning," Khan revealed. "And only recently have I begun to gather the answers."

"Tell me," she nearly begged. "Give me something to go on. What I have is only making me more resistant."

His grip around her throat unexpectedly loosened altogether, instead, moving up to cup her chin so she was forced to observe him directly.

"You are aware of your vulnerability at this moment?"

"Of course I am," she accepted, attempting not to gulp in the sudden oxygen. "But I don't know how else to reach you. We have been both so candid in our anger and repulsion in response to each other's natures, but have made no attempt at showing anything deeper. Which, up to this point, hasn't been an option for me. You'd just manipulate it to suit your needs. But what's the point now of maintaining a strong facade? With your attitude, my resolve isn't going to be wavering anytime soon and this is my house. I'm allowed to be my most intimate self here. Plus, me being so detached has only led to the point where I'm honestly considering disregarding my own physical safety just so I can hurt you. And where will that get us?"

She paused at this, but Khan only continued staring at her, his interest surprisingly clear on his face.

"I have nothing to lose, really, being vulnerable. It's not like I've given you my consent. But your actions discredit you, sometimes. And it's leaving me wondering if it's only just the submission of my body you want."

Completely ignoring the latter part, Khan stated, "I am not capable of feeling vulnerability."

"What a lie," she argued. "If you've ever cared about someone, then you are just as capable of feeling vulnerable as I am. For you, strength lies in never showing that. For me, it did to. But we keep on going around in circles and if this continues, I know you're going to snap one of these days."

"You trust my discipline so little?"

Eden couldn't discern whether he felt insulted or threatened.

"In the matter of an hour, you've gone from groping me to throwing me into a chokehold. You also admitted that it's difficult for you to keep your temper and instincts in check around me. What's the harm in me being vulnerable? It might save my life."

The pressure on her chin increased, but it wasn't outright painful yet. If anything, she imagined it was the only reaction he made to her statement.

"What is it you want?"

"To know what you do," she confessed. "You said you're beginning to understand why I'm your pet. Even when there are women far more suited for you. I want to know why you think so."

"And how will this possibly alter your view of your current situation?"

"I don't know," she truthfully answered.

He released her chin and backed away. His eyes, however, dark and piercing, stayed focused on her.

Some truly messed up part of Eden hoped in those few tense seconds, that he'd answer positively. What that answer might entail, she wasn't quite sure. But she knew it wouldn't involve simply the bodily lust he felt for her.

Because within this tangled and snarled relationship they shared, there were spurts of moments that she couldn't wholeheartedly believe were consisted of pure evil on his part. Though there was no evidence present, she believed Khan was interested in her (as a puzzle, only), but interested regardless. And that interest was enough for him to alter the way he treated her, beginning back when he'd decided to feed her.

There had been other moments, moments that escaped her now (and would return at a time too late to be relevant), but her mind carried the essence of them having happened. And they indicated, maybe only to herself, that his own thoughts were conflicted regarding what he wanted from her.

"Your body is a vessel and I was bored."

There was no waver, no sign of warmth, not even an inkling of mercy.

Khan answered her with a brutal force equivalent to that of a physical blow.

"That's why I'm your pet," she finished softly.

"What other reason could there be? You are human. It would be an atrocity to think you anything more than a physical means of stimulation."

Though his reply wasn't overly shocking, Eden couldn't figure out for the life of her why the hell it stung so much to hear. Enough to where a pressure began building behind her eyes.

And it was when she discovered that his words were powerful enough to where she was honestly considering releasing tears before him, Eden pushed her way past the man, intending to flee the bathroom.

In that moment, however, she remembered that luck couldn't permit her to leave a room gracefully. Thus, she was unexpectedly yanked backwards by Khan's hand, wrapped firmly around her bicep.

She blinked mutinously, keeping the salty liquid at bay. For now.

But she didn't fool herself into believing it wasn't coming. Those tears, now coming to symbolize not just her inner youth, but a residual hope, would be making their way down her face in one way or the other.

She just hoped desperately not to be in the presence of the man who managed to bring them forth, even when she was normally prepared for his bite and snark.

"I fail to understand why you're upset. You know your place and what I think of you."

Her jaw tightened at his dismissive tone and all the passiveness she'd fought to maintain in the past few minutes, momentarily vacated her body.

"I earnestly apologize," came her low, venomous response. "My stupidity allowed me to temporarily believe you weren't a complete emotionless bastard."

His grip tightened when she tried to move forward.

"One day, I will usher out an apology not conceived out of childish sarcasm," he berated, eyes practically searing her flesh. "In the meantime, it would be wise of you to work on containing your emotions better. Your useless ones, at least, which so nakedly show your anguish."

Something about his quip struck Eden as unusual and rather than cave in further to her building mix of frustration and teariness, she met Khan's gaze without so much as a blink, uncaring if he could see the turbulence roaring in her green eyes.

"Why?" she challenged, remarkably even tempered. "Having a difficult time accepting the way you treat your pet?"

It was an offhanded statement, released only because his agitation at her open display of grief seemed oddly excessive, but the frozen look of hesitation on Khan's features, alerted Eden that she'd struck somewhere important in his landmine of emotions.

At his extended muteness, she decided to continue on. No tactic yet had earned such a deer in the headlights response from him.

"I've sucked everything up at this point because I thought showing how much your cruelty affected me was weak," she released, eyes widening. "I was convinced it was weak. But this is the first time I've realized that...by not showing you how I feel...I was only making it that much...easier for you to treat me that way."

She cut off his response with a triumphant half smile.

"You have a hard time handling me when I'm in tears, don't you? Last time I was, you left the basement. I thought then it was because you were repulsed by my human tendencies, like you said. But what if...it was difficult for you to know that your behavior and actions caused that response? But why would that matter?" she repeated, brain reactivating and reanalyzing her situation. "Unless...is that possible? Could you actually feel remorse for knowing you're the cause of my suffering? Hate is different. People can get over not being liked. But knowing that you've elicited such a vulnerable and pained response from someone you essentially claimed the rights to, isn't the same. And you didn't even stick around the first time, did you? Now, you're chastising me for revealing that I actually can be hurt. Khan...if you only want my body, why are you caring about how I feel?"

There was a short moment in which Eden was convinced she'd just signed her death wish. He doesn't like having this sort of business revealed, she recalled. He's not going handle this well.

But she doubted there would have come a better time than now to not only catch his exact expression as it was, but to call him out on evidence she actually could account for.

Even if everything she said was wrong - a runaway figment of her imagination she latched onto so his blunt statement could muffle her disappointment at not having heard something more pleasant - she could at least hold some sort of assurance in herself that her confidence wouldn't be wavering anytime soon.

"I have no answer."

"But you do care, however little, about me."

He looked like his next words were a struggle to release. This, she could almost assure, was not a conversation he'd been prepared to have.

"I care for you like one does their property," he revealed. "If you are damaged, I will want you repaired. Physically...and emotionally."

"And hypothetically speaking, if you were the one who damaged me emotionally, how would you go about repairing me?"

"I have pushed your mental state to extremes and you have survived in once piece. I doubt your emotional capacity is so weak as to where I must worry about building up your esteem."

"It's not," she declared, realizing it was somewhat of a backhanded compliment. "But that's why I say it's hypothetical."

"Seeing as it has yet to happen, I find no relevance in answering you. And by now, I am confident you are able to handle far more than even you believe."

"Is that a warning?"

"In it's own way, yes. I will not lie when I say your mental and emotional state will further be tested, especially in these coming days. However, you are fully capable of surviving whatever problems attempt to weaken either."

"Okay," she took in, not particularly liking the graveness in which he spoke her future with. "But it'd help if you made an attempt not to add on to that stress. For some really messed up reason, I sometimes care about what you have to say. Maybe because I'm seeing that your words don't always match up to your actions. Or it's that accommodating nature that seems to pop up when I least want it. Whatever it is, could you tone down being a bastard just a little bit? I can only handle so much at a time."

"I still want, above all else, your body. Do not think this will ever change."

"Fine. But it's easier to accept now because I know you at least care...in your own way...about me. A huge detail you left out before. On purpose, no doubt. But it's made a big difference. And that's what I meant about telling me what's going on in your head."

"Has your perception of me truthfully changed?" he asked, sounding unconvinced.

"Not in the conventional manner. I haven't deluded myself into forgetting who you are by nature-."

He appeared satisfied with this.

"-but it helps a little, especially if you ever want my submission, to see you just a tad bit more...accessible."

At the end of her statement, Khan released her arm.

"Your stubbornness provokes me."

"Your domineering nature, provokes me," she pointed out. "But I deal with it one day at a time without physically harming you."

"You attacked me after having learned your money was depleted."

"I think we can both agree it was an attempt, at best, and seeing as you hardly let me get in so much as a slap, I don't consider that as physically harming you. But I do suggest, next time I provoke you, to either try and see it from my side - which you won't. Or keep back the urge to physically hurt or verbally demolish me. It's been apparent that you're use to people doing whatever you want whenever you say it. If it's unreasonable, I won't. If it is, I'll try."

"What is it you are offering me?"

"Advice."

"Why?"

"So you can use it."

"Why?"

"So I can stop crying."

"You still consider me the enemy."

"Oh, undoubtedly," she vowed. "When the opportunity comes to escape, I'm taking it. But in the meantime, wouldn't it be better to take our...relationship...I can't be sure if that's what we have...in a direction that doesn't lead to us being at each other's throats constantly?"

Mulling this over, Khan approached her, eyes set in their usual invasive scan.

"Metaphorically, I'm not opposed to the idea," he admitted. "Physically, it's tempting."

"I should have known you'd go for that."

"Our relationship is still a matter of submission. Which you have now advised me, can be played differently."

"I wanted you to see me as a person from the beginning," she reminded. "You've been the one having a difficult time keeping up because of your prejudices."

"They are not unfounded," he responded harshly. "Your race is repulsive."

"But weren't you created in our image? What does that make you?"

"Intellectually superior enough not to repeat your mistakes."

It wasn't in her imagination now. Khan's tone was definitely taking on an angrier, more spiteful edge. And rather than pursue what could possibly be an explosive conversation, Eden dropped the matter completely. Whatever grudge he carried against her kind, it was his own to cradle.

"Are you going to leave now?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You essentially told me to enjoy my last breaths of freedom before we relocated. In order for me to enjoy it, I need you gone."

His mouth thinned out at this.

"Interestingly enough, I am forced to make a slight change in my plans for the day. Beginning with using your shower."

"You're actually going to wash yourself? Don't you have a whole mantra about the dirtier you are, the better?"

"I haven't showered in months. Now, I find, may be an appropriate time."

"Or you want to spoil my day."

"Unthinkable," he deadpanned. "Does the ever gracious host wish to join me?"

Eden's nose crinkled up at this on habit, but her eyes reluctantly sped down his form. Side effect, she concluded. Of being in bed with the man.

Yeah, that didn't sound right to her either.

"I'd rather eat my own fingers."

This insult didn't quite have the intended effect. Rather than a scowling Khan, she bore witness to a smirking one.

"You proved in the bed just how responsive to my touch you are. It is idiotic to believe repulsion is what keeps you from accepting my offer. Inside, you are afraid."

"With good reason," she added, crossing her arms. "What good can come from being naked in a shower with you?"

"You having to ask only shows how much you still have to learn."

"Sometimes, the less you know, the better."

"What a displeasing statement coming from someone who fully engages the use of their mind."

"Really? I think it'd be far easier for you to get what you want if I was dumber and more ignorant."

"But your lifespan would be considerably shorter. I have little tolerance for narrow, underdeveloped minds."

Unsure of how to follow up his comment, or his complete conviction in his statement, Eden settled on something simple.

"I might go out to get something to eat. Splurge what's left in my wallet."

"You are aware by this point how unwise it would be for you to attempt escape?"

"Remind me."

She didn't say this to goad him, but rather to see what options, if any, she still had of avoiding her fate with this man.

"I am talented with all and any electronic systems, allowing me surveillance from anywhere at anytime. I am also immaculate at maintaining a convincing disguise. Anywhere you attempt to hide yourself, I will be able to infiltrate. I am able, with manipulation or simple lying, to get authority figures or the common pedestrian, on my side. This will make trusting people next to impossible. Above all else, however, I know your very essence in my sleep. Strip everything else away and I could still find you by scent alone."

Nodding, Eden backed away casually. She almost regretted asking.

"Then I guess you'll know where to find me when you're done. But how are you going to go undetected? The IJB is still looking for you."

"Your underestimation in me is almost disappointing."

Internally, she had to give it to him there. He'd managed to avoid capture by the top agencies for at least a week, most likely more.

"You can't be that good."

That time, she did goad him.

"Shall I issue you a challenge?"

And now, she wished she hadn't.

"What sort of challenge?"

It was only curiosity talking, after all. She had the right to deny it.

"Integrate yourself into central London. Surround yourself in the most public area you can think of. Go to a police station, I hardly care."

"And then?"

"Then I will appear by your side."

"I could warn people about you."

"You could. And I imagine you will. You live to make everything a challenge. But humanity is pliable. It will be a pleasure to show you just how much."

"You're acting as if I've already agreed."

"The moment you exit your home, you have."

She didn't know how it suddenly turned from a choice to a game, but either way, she wasn't going to stay holed up in her home. If today would indeed be her last day of freedom, she'd capitalize it as best as she could.

"Isn't this a bit...reckless, playing a game? You're obviously doing something important tomorrow."

He tilted his head at this while both hands suddenly dove beneath the bottom of his shirt, tugging the fabric quickly over his form.

Eden focused all of her willpower (and then some) not to stare at his chest. Doing so would indicate a whirlwind of issues she simply wasn't ready to discuss.

"I am willing to indulge in some entertainment before tomorrow."

"Fine, but remember what you said. I'm utilizing it all," she declared, eyes slipping slightly to his chin. "If you get arrested in the process, I'm not to blame."

"How touching. It is if you actually care."

His sarcasm made it easy to ignore his body.

However, when he began undoing the front of his gray jeans, Eden sharply turned her head, somewhat confused and intrigued with how comfortable he was, stripping before her.

"You will see it all eventually," he informed, just before she slammed the door. "It is only a matter of time."

"Not likely," she muttered.

Once the door was firmly shut, Eden's brain caught up with her.

"Can I actually win this?"

She winched at all the parts of her brain telling her no.

* * *

**Lots going on this chapter as Eden is yanked through an emotional roller coaster and Khan accepts that he doesn't not NOT care for her. Just does so as property sort of way. But who knows what's going on behind his intelligent head? I suppose the game is on for Eden in the coming chapter. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow, I bet you're surprised I'm still alive. Not to worry, this chapter has been weeks in the making. I'm terribly picky about what I upload, so this chapter encountered revision after revision, having gone a whole bunch of directions and then erased, before being written another way. There was a week or two where I took a brief hiatus because to continue might actually drive me insane. But overall, it's completed and I hope that's ultimately worth it. Though, I do apologize profusely at how long it's taken to release this. That's not fair to you who've been with me since I began the story. I apologize if you have to reread through chapters to get back into the groove of things. I can't be sure all of my updates will be quick as in this past month, I've quit my job, packed by bags, and moved three and a half hours away to college. But I am still passionate in the beautiful turmoil that is Eden and Khan. Thank you all who've reviewed thus far and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"You are aware this is an insult to my intelligence?"

Eden's heart nearly stopped altogether when his deep voice broke through the stale air.

Faintly, she blessed herself for being so wrapped up in her thoughts, face hidden behind her hands. Because the expression she wore was nothing short of shock.

"How the hell did you get in here?" she demanded upon observing his lean form, making sure her features were carefully schooled.

He entered the cell with a look of disdain at their surroundings.

"Continuous containment in such restrictive features would be enough to drive one insane," he observed, ignoring her outburst.

Seated on a surprisingly well-preserved manila mattress, no longer than a park bench, Eden too risked a glance at the bare walls.

"After an hour, you get used to it."

Khan didn't follow-up with a response, instead, studying her from a standing position, as always, face unreadable.

During this time of silence on both their parts, she got a powerful whiff of his post-showered form.

"You used my shampoo."

"It is a wonder a man could look twice at you with the amount of small talk you've indulged in."

"Not trying to be attractive," she reminded, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. "And it's not small talk. You don't sound like the type of man who needs to rigorously clean himself."

When this failed to elicit a response, she contained the beginnings of a lengthy sigh. Knowing he had willingly not only used her shampoo, but soap too, didn't rest well with her for hygienic and personal reasons.

"I don't like you smelling like me."

Again, she received no response.

But, after five seconds of further silence, he finally settled on calmly sitting beside her, posture rigid as ever. This small detail was always something her brain picked up on. It made the marginally empathetic side of her wonder if he ever had the chance to relax. And though he hardly deserved it, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His life appeared to never have a place to stop.

"I imagined you would consult the police first," Khan revealed, turning halfway to her.

"Yes, but I told them-."

Her voice failed her when she saw a growing smirk strike his lips.

"A criminal?" he finished, eyeing her with the type of amusement one got from watching an animal suffer. "You are hardly that. Your fairness and annoyingly virtuous nature reflects more broadly than you are aware of. They certainly didn't deem you a criminal, much less a threat. If I was told correctly, they only jailed you because they thought you were intoxicated. Though, it is an interesting touch. Rather than coming to them as a victim, you made yourself out to be an enemy. Just not a very convincing one."

His triumphant manner should have bothered her, but Eden recognized reluctantly that the plan had never been in her favor from the beginning. As Khan pointed out, she wasn't naturally a violent or deceitful person. At times throughout her life, it physically ached to be someone other than herself. Which made maintaining friendships, lonely.

But attempting to convince the police she was a danger, thus forcing them to lock her up and away from unwanted visitors (such as the one sitting beside her), was overusing acting skills she simply wasn't in the possession of.

And apparently served to make her appear intoxicated.

No wonder Khan found her so quickly.

"How did they let you in here?" she repeated, silently admitting to her defeat. "I told them I didn't want visitors or bail set."

"I used your shampoo."

It took her under fifteen seconds to understand.

"You mean...before I even left, you thought I'd go to the police?"

"Imagine how disappointed I was upon seeing I was right," he answered, not being subtle about the hint of mockery in his tone. "It is likely they smelled you upon making their arrest. And though you last showered yesterday, the scent from your wash lingered. As mine did from your shampoo. After that, it was astonishingly easy to convince them we were involved in a domestic dispute which involved your increasing dependence on liquor to sustain your bad habits. The females were ridiculously touched about how attentive I was to your needs."

By the end of his explanation, she wanted to gag.

"You told them we were..._in a relationship_?"

"As husband and wife," he remarked impassively, clearly not bothered by the domestic charade.

"Oh my God," she groaned, fighting the urge to hide her face inside her hands. "I barely look twenty-one. How did you manage that?"

"One would think by this point, you wouldn't need to ask. But if it has by chance escaped your memory, I am remarkably persuasive."

His gaze was aimed ahead during this proclamation, giving him the appearance of deep concentration.

From her vantage point, it seemed he was recalling the conversation he'd had. And by the lack of angry lines on his face, it had gone entirely in his favor.

Well, obviously, it had. He was sitting next to her, bathed in her scent. What other conclusion could the officers have made?

"Persuasive isn't an excuse to ignore pedophilia."

Khan glared at her, the muscles in his jaw noticeably tightening. From this alone, Eden regretted her statement. It was expelled out of anger rather than truth. And truth was, her traitorous body enjoyed his touch enormously.

"I think we can both agree our relationship is _hardly_ pedophilic."

Tensing up at the bite in his tone, she questioned, "Since when could we classify that what we have is even remotely close to a relationship?"

"Your terminology, not mine."

She didn't know what to answer with. The ease with which he found her was seriously beginning to make her thoroughly depressed.

"Did you cheat?" she tried. "You said you could find me by scent alone."

"I wanted this to be a challenge, not a hunt."

"I'm surprised you recognize the difference between the two."

When Khan lifted his arm, she was sure he'd try to hit her. Granted, he hadn't been violent with her for awhile (excluding the biting incident), but she never knew just how good of a reign he had on his urges as violence came naturally to him.

Rather than strike her, however, all he ended up doing was placing his large hand over her thigh, fingers engulfing the flesh securely.

The act was unnaturally tender of him and Eden felt the distinct urge to question his motive.

However, it was so entirely random that she didn't quite know where to start.

She did know that there wasn't much chance of her to try and pull away. He probably had more strength in one finger than she did in her arms and legs alone. And as always, he had a reason for everything he did.

Khan, throughout her inner musings, watched her with a guarded expression.

"I want you to try again."

The seriousness in his tone was a polar opposite to his touch. Which seemed to burn through the fabric of her jeans the longer it rested there.

"It was a good first attempt," came her optimistic defense.

"It was half hearted, at best," he reprimanded. "I applaud you for not playing the victim, but you locked yourself in a small room behind bars. That is a child's tactic, not yours. You are unafraid of me. Show it."

She hadn't thought her plan childish until now. And though it was always with a rebellious nature that she took his insults, Eden wasn't quite sure he meant it as one this time around.

It was more of an observation. They were playing a game and she had essentially imprisoned herself in hopes that he'd not find her. His pointing that out wasn't to mock her, but to push her to think more critically in her next plan.

"What are you getting from this?" she questioned, immediately suspicious. "Why is this game so important to you?"

"It is not solely for my benefit. You need to learn how to outsmart a pursuer. And though I hardly expect you to win this, utilizing what you know will be of great use should you ever find yourself in a similar situation."

His words weren't a suggestion, but a warning.

"Who are we going to be running from?"

"People who will not hesitate to torture you in exchange for information."

It was one of those times she knew he was being completely serious. And while the statement should have worried her, it was relief she felt instead at having heard the truth.

"Okay," she accepted. "Why put your hand on my knee, though? You could have told me without it."

"It was an experiment."

"Of course," she muttered, resisting the urge to frown. "What isn't with you?"

"Your reactions to me are far more revealing than you realize."

"That's debatable."

"You have not shrugged my hand off yet," he pointed out, sounding vaguely pleased. "And I doubt you've even comprehended that your body is now facing mine entirely while your shoulders have lost their harsh tension."

Glancing down at herself, Eden fought back her displeasure from showing. He was, of course, correct.

Alas, she wasn't as skilled as to let all of it escape her features.

"I was...engaged in the conversation."

"Is that what you're calling it?"

Irritated by his insinuation, she rose to her feet, relieved to be rid of his touch.

"Let's just get this game over with."

He too stood, considerably nearer to her than before.

"Present a challenge for me this time, won't you?"

Rather than reply with something that'd ignite his fury, Eden offered him an insincere smile before stalking out of the cell.

But he wasn't far behind. From the cell to the end of the hallway, he shadowed her.

"You two get it settled out, then?" queried a woman's voice as soon as they entered the front division of the police station.

"Yes," Khan interjected before she could answer, unexpectedly grabbing her hand. "She's had a rather difficult time as of late. I thank you unconditionally for allowing me to take her home where she can seek help for her illness."

Her blush was instantaneous and one of abysmal aggravation, especially as the two officers (both women) eyed Khan with unwavering admiration.

The longer she watched this, the sicker Eden felt. If there was any doubt she had left about his acting skills, they were all but vanquished.

Because Khan sounded civil, charming, and disturbingly friendly.

These were the occasions that called for a trip to the bar, she faintly thought as his grip tightened on hers.

"You're a dear to take care of her in such a state," one of the women crooned. "I'd have personally left her in the cell."

Internally, Eden wondered why she'd gone to a human station in the first place and not one comprised of androids. Even worse, why she was feeling so profoundly irritated as to want to hit both women.

"One goes to great lengths for the one they love," he assured, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

When his misleadingly humble voice broke through the atmosphere, Eden's docility snapped. If he wanted to humiliate her before a public audience, fine. But she sure as hell wouldn't be making that journey alone.

"Funny, dear," she suddenly remarked, inclining her head almost childishly as he attempted to pull her towards the exit, "seeing as you also told the same thing to your mistress. Well...at least the one I spoke to. I'm sure there's other ones I'm neglecting that you meet when out on the town with the guys."

This definitely kept Khan rooted to the floor, eyes flying to her.

A clear warning.

But Eden turned expectantly towards the two women, an equally deceptive smile possessing her lips.

"Tell me, do you think him romantic, ladies?"

Neither answered straightaway, but Eden, rather than feeling put off, reveled in the silence. And the growing attentiveness spilling over their features.

"You think him a man of his word?" she continued, wording her questions rhetorically. "A man who'll love me unconditionally despite my state? A man who's monogamous? Ha!"

With a renewal of confidence striking her, she ripped her hand from Khan's, approaching the women with confident steps.

"Your luck, ladies, far surpasses mine this evening. Why, you ask?"

She paused only briefly, making sure she had their undivided attention.

When a red light began flashing near one of their hands, but remained ignored, Eden knew she had it.

"I imagine it has something to do with your husbands not making you want to drink yourselves to death just so you can momentarily forget what a lying, manipulative, adulterous, and disappointingly underdeveloped bastard he is. And when I say underdeveloped, I'm certainly not referring to his height."

The women glanced mutely between the duo, jaws inching open the longer they stared.

"Now, we can depart, husband," she chirped, spinning to the man. "I've got some liquor to nurse and you've got...oh, I'm so terrible with names. Is it the slutty lawyer tonight? Or the minister's wife?"

Despite her heart beating so violently it bordered on painful, Eden maintained a smile worthy of praise for its complete lack of hesitation. Those words snatched the control Khan had and rightfully returned it to her shaking hands.

Not to mention, she just publicly regained the dignity her former captor had so effectively taken away. That, perhaps above all else, mattered most.

Khan, ever the true perfectionist, simply smiled - a bit tight around the edges - surprisingly saying little at her blunt stare and blunter words.

Feeling her point had been made, Eden nodded once to the women before making her way to the exit, ignoring the discussion suddenly breaking out between them. Gossip, no matter how true, always managed to turn her off.

Khan kept in perfect pace with her out of the station. And when they migrated into the wave of pedestrians on the sidewalk, he kept diligently close to her side, still silent.

It was when her confidence began to waver slightly – no matter how triumphant she had the right to be, his silence always unnerved her – that the man finally spoke.

"Impressive."

His compliment, followed by a glance at her, certainly wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting.

"Impressive?" she repeated, brows furrowing.

"Yes. It is an enjoyable surprise to see you apply your quick intellect with little hesitancy. Even if it is to defend your bothersome pride."

They were now a full block away from the station and Eden certainly felt, with every step, an added weight of disappointment.

"Was that another experiment? You wanted to see how I'd handle being put on the spot?"

"No," he admitted. "I merely wanted to aggravate your irritation so you would attempt to try harder in your next endeavor. It is rather adorable how pitifully mindful and protective you are of your pride. If it is struck, you will react. An intriguing revelation I will no doubt keep in mind."

"But they think you're pathetic and a terrible husband," she insisted.

"As if I care about the opinion of two mentally deficient imbeciles," he spat. "Had I not a plan already set in motion, I may have ended their lives simply for their inferior mentality. Appalling that they are able to occupy a position of such authority when they lack the discipline to not cave into a man's request simply because of his physical attributes and mild flirtation."

"Wait...," she stopped in place, "you only had to flirt with them and they let you see me?"

He turned to her sharply, obviously not liking the disruption in their pace, nor the countless bodies brushing past them both.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" he drawled darkly.

Up to this point, Eden had been entirely repelled and disturbed at Khan's mantra regarding intelligence. It appeared that if others didn't know half the things he did, they were not only unworthy of his time, but in some instances, better off dead. It wasn't because she knew she'd never be able reach his level of intelligence in a century of lifetimes, that she was disgusted by his set of rigid beliefs. And it didn't shame her to admit that level of intelligence would never be hers. She was only human, after all.

No, what made his beliefs disturbing was how hateful of a person he became by adopting them. Had he been born with a clean slate, with no prejudices - incoming or otherwise - then he may have actually had the chance to evolve into a decent person.

Unfortunately, that hadn't been his fate.

But, for the first time since having been thrown into the man's path, Eden was given a tiny glimpse into why Khan thought the way he did. Why he abhorred those of lesser intelligence so bitterly.

There was of course not having someone to converse with of equal intellect. Khan enjoyed speaking, if his undying arrogance wasn't a give away, and among his people, she guessed his word was often held in great regard.

There was also the ego he carried by nature, which became belligerent at the idea of having to simplify and adjust his speech and ideas and philosophies because someone couldn't pick up what he was saying.

And yet, it was neither of these she sympathized with. Because Khan couldn't have hated people - humans specifically - who were inferior in intelligence to him solely because he couldn't speak at his level to them.

No, it was deeper than that.

People who lacked intelligence ultimately made thoughtless decisions. Not once, but repeatedly. And this allowed them to exist entirely ignorant for the rest of their lives.

She caught a glimpse of it only because of Khan's revelation regarding the two women. Had her attempt at hiding not been a game and she truly was running for her life, she'd have died repulsively quick inside that jail cell. All because two humans (she shuddered briefly at resorting to naming them by such a disassociative term) - couldn't do their jobs as authority figures because they were so successfully and easily persuaded by someone who had to do little more than flirt with them.

Not only did that indicate a weak character, but a weaker mind.

Upon makings this epiphany, Eden wondered if she wasn't perhaps being too critical. Khan was an incredibly sly and convincing individual. She just had to think back to his infiltration of Starfleet to know this as truth. The women hadn't known what was coming.

But the more she envisioned her own death, the less defense she had to give to those women.

Had the situation truly been dire, their mindlessness might have killed her.

Worse still, they reminded Eden of how many other people lived this way.

Despite having comprehended this, she kept her frustration from building to the point of all out disgust. While the women had been careless and shallow, she couldn't exactly blame them entirely for having been placed under Khan's thrall.

Furthermore, if she let that anger simmer too long, it had a chance of heating up into something less human and more barbaric. And the result of nursing such hate was Khan himself.

Her thoughts were temporarily snapped by a rough shoulder plowing into her chest.

Before she had the chance to fully lose her balance and all of the oxygen in her lungs, Khan's arms wrapped firmly around her waist, steadying her before him. Just in his breathing pattern over her neck, she could tell he was annoyed at her brief indulgence into a catatonic state.

And yet, the nearness made way for an unexpected speculation to blossom.

"Why be angry at them?" she asked, spinning in his hold to face him.

Just as she guessed, he eyed her with deep displeasure.

"Have I not already answered that question? Or are you attempting to convince me you are equally as idiotic? Though, I doubt at this point it would take much convincing."

"Khan," she repeated, unperturbed by the insult, watching him carefully, "you should be happy that they told you everything so quickly. That I had been there and they arrested me. Their compliance suited your agenda."

It was clear he didn't know where she was headed in her questioning, and in response, his annoyance retreated, making way for his trademark blank expression.

Around them, the crowds were gradually thinning out as rush hour neared its end. Soon, they'd have enough privacy - save for the occasional cluster of shoppers - to have an intensely private conversation, if they so wished.

And she knew he could tell that what she had to say, wasn't for outside ears.

In all seriousness, it wasn't so much a comment as it was a theory. But an ardent enough one to verbally acknowledge.

"Whatever it is you are attempting to imply, ignore it. It is not worth my time to hear."

"You're being defensive," sprang from her lips before she had the chance to contain it. "And you think I'm fairly sensible, for a human. You said so in that conversation we had in the kitchen."

His hands were still gripping her waist and if it wasn't for the slight increase in pressure, she'd have thought her words were making no impact on him.

Because his face was entirely unaffected.

"You're angry at those women not only because they're inferior in intelligence to you," she explained, voice having grown softer, "but because you know that their lack of intellect could have gotten me killed were there someone worse than you after me."

During the time Eden spent in his presence, she was always aware - that awareness had decreased the more comfortable she got around him - that he didn't particularly enjoy having observations she made regarding his feelings (the more sensitive ones, if they could even be called) out in the open. To think him capable of experiencing pain and suffering as a human did, was a great insult, even if it was meant jokingly. And up to this point, she disregarded this reminder. Not because she'd forgotten it, but because it was more natural for her to say what was on her mind rather than to keep things pent up. In some ways, she was, remarkably enough, an open book. Her mother knew this better than anyone else.

Just as well, some of her observations regarding his feelings - however much of a shot in the dark they were - ended up not only being somewhat close to the truth, but allowed her to understand the cold man better. Because being honest and speaking out her thoughts was always something Eden believed Khan reluctantly appreciated, even if he constantly appeared to loathe it. They'd touched upon topics she was sure he never would have been able to breach himself.

So, when it came to saying what she just did, Eden didn't consider there would be much of a consequence. He would either scoff at her idiocy (this meant she was way off), ignore her altogether, or mention a few words that alluded to a partial truth.

She certainly thought it might either be the former or the latter, especially when his grip loosened somewhat around her waist.

But, as she soon found out, it wasn't quite for the reason she imagined.

One moment, she was observing him cautiously (she knew enough to still be trepidatious when it came to these sort of subjects).

The next, he struck her solidly across the cheek, causing her head to snap with a disturbing crack, to the side.

Being unnaturally powerful and all, it was no surprise the hit managed to knock her off balance or pull forth a yelp when she fell to the cement, tailbone striking the concrete directly.

For a few seconds, she could only feel the hot imprint from his hand and the cold London air striking it. But after the initial shock wore off, she found herself wondering how to react.

With anger, that was a no brainer. The strike bore an all too familiar resemblance to that first week in the basement after her kidnapping. And she certainly hadn't held back in displaying that emotion then.

Beneath the initial anger, however, she was startled to find herself hurt. Not physically so much as emotionally. She couldn't manage to figure out why exactly when she expected this behavior from him, but that couldn't change what made her insides feel like they were being electrocuted slowly.

Could it have been possible she trusted him not to harm her?

No, that was a ludicrous idea.

Then, why did the pain extend deeper than just the skin?

When most of the physical discomfort had passed, Eden managed a glance up at Khan.

In her mind, she hoped to see satisfaction or justification engraved in his face. It would have been a relief to see because then her anger might blot out the odd suffering she was experiencing emotionally.

But Khan indulged in neither of these emotions.

In fact, as soon as she met his eyes, he bent down before her on a knee, one hand immediately grasping hers.

There were a million and one things she could have done or said that would have been entirely appropriate of her situation in that moment. Spat, yelled, cursed, hit, ignored - the list goes on.

However, she settled on doing, somewhat unconsciously, something unexpected - considering she nearly reminded him daily of her hate for him.

With a grimace that shot an uncomfortable jolt into her cheekbone, Eden accepted his hand and allowed him to gradually pull her to her feet.

She avoided his gaze as long as she could and upon finding balance on both feet, tore her grip from his.

And yet, by abstaining from anger, she knew she'd changed things. She couldn't be sure how, but from Khan's ever so rapid surprise detectable only through his hesitant hands, she knew she had.

"Let me see your cheek," he said.

"So you can admire your hand work?" she responded tiredly. "Leave it alone. There will be plenty more in the future."

He ignored her request and with a gentleness that should have been illegal for someone of his build and nature, snuck two fingers beneath her chin and slowly pushed up so her gaze was once more on him.

Reluctantly, she greeted his stare, hoping to find something sarcastic or mocking in his face. She wanted to evoke anger, not subdue it.

But Khan looked at her more humanly than he'd ever done so before.

Don't mistake her in this description for thinking he appeared weak. His features were naturally set harsh and intimidating. By an outside glance of someone who didn't know him very well, he would almost appear unconcerned.

He certainly didn't look guilty or horrified. She doubted he had the emotional capacity to muster those two up.

What he did look like, however, what made her pain retreat just a little faster, was the vague innocence flashing from muscle to muscle, beneath his skin.

Khan looked as if he knew he'd done something ugly, but didn't quite know how to fix it.

She briefly thought lost was a good explanation, though it was hard to tell because he kept trying to make himself appear detached. Which alerted her that his discipline over his emotions were currently engaged in a struggle.

After a full minute of watching what was honestly becoming a discomfort to behold, Eden decided on ending his indecision. Because if it at all bordered potential regret, she knew her entire image of him would change. This was the last thing she needed in the emotional turmoil raging inside her.

"Stop with that look," she demanded, wondering why, for the millionth time, she was being so accommodating. It had to be a disability. Maybe she had a destiny to be the girlfriend of a murderer.

His indecisive mannerisms almost instantly began to fade and internally, Eden relaxed.

"You've recovered nicely," he noted. "I do not strike people lightly."

"No kidding."

"Why not become enraged or violent toward me?" he inquired, taking small steps toward her.

Refusing to back away, Eden stared confidently up at him.

"I'll save that reaction for a day when you hitting me actually becomes a surprise. Now, are we going to resume playing your game?"

Her question was never answered because Khan took possession of her chin again, tilting it to the side so the receding redness, morphing into a light bronze, was now staring back at him.

Eden wasn't sure why she was holding her breath, but the longer he stared at the mark, the more compressed her breathing got.

Just when she was ready to pull her head away and finally engage in that anger still resting inside her, Khan leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss directly below her cheek bone.

Before she had the chance to wonder what the hell that had been about, he muttered, "Follow me. For once, I intend to help you. Don't make me regret it."

It took her a moment to regain her voice.

"No," she argued, pulling out of his hold. "I don't want your help. And I don't need you to feel obliged to help me just because I'm your pet."

"Your dramatics are praise worthy."

"Insult me again and I'm going to punch you."

"Rest assured I would be more amused by the attempt than you would."

This, unfortunately, was probably true.

"I hate you so much."

"So you often remind me. And yet, your actions don't always support such fury. Besides, I would think by this point you were clever enough to pick out how little it is I treat you as a pet."

He stated this into her ear, lowly and quietly. And for a confusing minute, Eden's anger was put on hold.

"You do everything in your power to degrade me. To make me feel inferior. I'm a vessel, remember?" she whispered quickly, heart beat increasing. "Stop messing around with my feelings. I may be young, but I know you well by now. You are cruel and cold and selfish-."

"Momentarily disregard your pain, be it physical or otherwise, and follow me. I intend to help you. Not out of obligation, but because you are not the true recipient of my temper."

"You always lose it around me," she bit back, not falling for his excuse so easily. "Why couldn't you restrain it this time?"

"You would not understand."

"Terrible answer. Try again."

"It was not all directed towards you."

"You're the master of discipline."

"And you mistake me to have been so my entire existence," he returned. "In my time, among my people, I never once feared to withhold savagery and brutality. Emotions that forced from me the violence I possess and have so often times used, had no barrier or restraint. Before coming to this time, I was wild and little disciplined in holding back what was never something I considered needed to be".

"Why did you have to be so disciplined?"

She'd have continued with touching upon his remark about 'coming to this time', but she didn't think that was quite the point of his speech.

"Events taken out of my control were to reshape my future. I was to be used and then afterwards, killed," he explained, tone sharpening. "To escape such a fate, I needed patience. Which I did not fear myself to be without. I was a leader and so forth, patience, despite a mind of constant combat, was always a returning friend. However, my anger was, at one point, so great that patience alone would not contain it. And so, I began to discipline myself tirelessly. Those savage emotions I once ruled continents with, were chained up and domesticated. Always for a temporary time. Until the anger could be rightfully unleashed without any consequence upon myself. I needed discipline to adapt to this time and await my revenge."

"You're still struggling with it," Eden noted delicately, unsure which of his revelations she should pursue. "Which means your anger has yet to be unleashed."

"It will be soon. I hardly expect you to understand, not because you lack the mental capacity to do so, but because your anger, even in its most foul form, could never compare to mine. Your savagery would be mere child's play in my eyes."

"Humanity is capable of atrocious things," she defended. "You can't be so sure we're not capable of what you are."

"Murder is undoubtedly what you hint at. That which you believe is humanity at its most atrocious?" he questioned, shaking his head as if the mere idea pestered him. "As I said, mere child's play."

The words chilled her worse than the wind nipping at skin.

"So, you lost your temper," she redirected, wishing to momentarily stay away from that topic.

"Yes."

Seeing that he wasn't about to elaborate (and that this would be as far as he was willing to go emotionally), Eden backed away.

"How long did it take you to discipline yourself from your hate?"

"A week, perhaps shorter."

Amazed, she commented, "You made it sound like it was a continuous struggle."

"Stop mistaking me for a human," he scolded. "I may have been lacking discipline in containing my baser emotions, but I learn at an almost instantaneous rate."

"Apparently not. You have no shame in harming someone."

"If it is needed, I have no reason to restrict myself."

"Then where's the line crossed? Where does the discipline start and end?"

"If someone is of use to me, I will keep myself from killing them."

"And the line ends when you become bored or they've stopped being important?"

"Eventually, yes."

"So...without discipline, you would be a killing machine."

"A fair point, but not entirely true. I kill those who serve no purpose to me or who inhibit the intellectual evolution of those superior to them. Or, if they have had any personal involvement in harming those I hold close. As I mentioned before, while I am distinctly skilled at it, savagery is not always my ultimate weapon."

"You care about people. You...allow yourself to care," she slowly repeated, unable to keep the surprise from her tone. "Why tell me that? Aren't you afraid I'll see you as weak?"

"Not in the slightest. Not any more."

"I do. I do think you're weak."

He picked up on her bluff right away.

"You think me no weaker than a brick wall soft. And knowing my deep hate for your kind, I hardly think it advantageous for you to make an attempt at using this against me."

He had a despairingly fair point. Caring wasn't a sign of weakness. At least she never thought so personally. Despite having learned Khan was capable of it, she knew he was still ruthless and powerful as ever. He had been all this time even when she hadn't known this. It by no means, made him less dangerous in her eyes. In fact, from the passionate way he spoke, it made him slightly worse. Should whoever he held close, ever be harmed, his adopted discipline may very well disintegrate.

On his second point, she knew him to be right as well. How could she convincingly go about and try to use his ability to care, to her advantage? And not have to deal with the repercussions which would most likely lead to her very agonizing death.

She believed wholeheartedly he hated humans. So, it had to be his people that he cared for. Who else had he spoken about without such hate in his voice?

Truthfully, his admission changed nothing. And he knew that. Which made him comfortable enough to share it.

And yet, she wondered why bother? Her opinion wouldn't change of him.

Well, not that much.

Maybe just a tad.

"I think we've strayed too far from the subject," she remarked. "Why did you hit me? Give me a good answer and I'll go with you wherever it is you want me to."

"You were correct. Their behavior repulsed me."

"You hit me because I was right?"

"Are you truly that surprised?"

"No," she shook her head, feeling as if there was still another part of the story he was neglecting to mention. "I'm not. But that is weakness. Not being able to see another point but your own. I imagine a lot of people lost their lives because you had a Napoleon complex. Minus the height."

He studied her quietly, most likely searching for a sign of a lie.

"You are serious."

"Completely. Don't you think that's a problem? You harm someone who points out the truth? News flash, even the most intellectually superior being isn't always right. Don't blame your ego or nature either. This is you, Khan. You're a bastard. And you know I deserve an apology."

"You are correct," he addressed, tone somewhat distant. "You do deserve an apology. Now, follow me."

Knowing this would be as close to saying sorry as he'd come - and oddly satisfied by this progress - Eden allowed him to guide her into a nearby restaurant.

He had her pick a booth in a more dimly lit area of the eatery and rather than sit across her, slid in beside.

Eden, to her own confusion, couldn't help but want to laugh. Which was completely inappropriate of her situation. He still hit her. She shouldn't let that be brushed away so quickly.

But the absurdity of sitting in a fancy restaurant at three o'clock in the afternoon - most of the place still being deserted - next to her former kidnapper who had just ordered them both water, struck her as ridiculously funny.

Her lips twitched from side to side and she had to look down to contain the bubbling in her chest.

She really worried for her mental state sometimes.

By the time the waiter had returned with their drinks, Khan still hadn't said a word. Didn't even hint as to what they were doing in there.

However, his expression was one of carefully held back scorn. Possibly because the man ready to take their order wore an obedient grin that screamed of wanting to please everyone.

She doubted Khan understood that most people in the service industry needed to uphold this sort of mannerism. Else anyone who looked would see just how much they truly hated their job. And then a manager would get involved, wages might get cut, and that job might not be theirs anymore. There was a whole psychology to it.

But all Khan saw was a young, desperate man who looked eager to please. And that would, understandably, disgust him.

So, before the waiter's confidence could be destroyed, Eden spoke up. Already, she empathized for the guy.

"Hi," she brightly greeted, placing a hand on Khan's shoulder.

The latter action brought about a long glance from the man to her right.

"My friend and I were hoping to hear whatever is your special for today. I'm in the mood for something salty and he's in the mood for," she met Khan's gaze straight on, "something...bloody."

By now, he understood what she was trying to do. And whether it was planned or spontaneous, he actually smiled. Probably because of her terminology.

"I'm glad you asked," the waiter followed up. "We have..."

Although he was most helpful, listing off everything he knew to be on the board for the day, Eden, for the life of her, couldn't pull her eyes away from Khan's. It was a peculiar moment in time where everything around her appeared to freeze into immobility and his eyes, surprisingly lively the deeper she observed, were the only constant.

He watched her just as intensely as she did him and this alone should have scared her. That this odd feeling wasn't restrictive to just her alone.

Instead, she felt fascination grip onto her and refuse to let go. It wasn't just Khan's face that held her in place. Though, once again, it was a chance to admire it. Handsome, harsh, masculine, and deceptively savage.

No, what held her gaze in place stirred behind his eyes. There was no proper description in the English language for it. What it did succeed in doing was make her forget for just a brief second, who Khan was. All she saw was a normal man with eyes that changed as often as his emotions, peering back with obvious desire, and yet not entirely contained to just primitive lust.

Eden internally praised the waiter a thousand times over when his cough interrupted whatever weird transfixed state they'd fallen into. Because once she had the chance to blink properly, reality hit her like...well, Khan's hand. That seemed like a pretty good analogy in her head. And her cheek.

Quickly directing her head towards the waiter, Eden slid off the hand that'd been resting on his shoulder and swiftly scanned the front of the menu, mind completely blank despite hearing the specials in depth. The front, unfortunately, only bore the alcoholic beverages.

But she wasn't fazed. Hadn't her mother attempted to instill culture and etiquette into her when she'd been young? Yes, she remembered that phase. They'd gone to enough lavish restaurants to make her head spin.

How ironic was it that those instances might have actually aided her in the end?

"I'll have the Albino Alfredo, light on the sauce with a side of the Karedok salad, hold the legumes."

"Dressing?" the waiter inquired, staring helpfully at her.

"Not at the moment. Would it trouble you as well to reheat the Alfredo after it's finished? My friend's order will take longer to make and I know even in the most expensive places, whatever's finished first will be left out. Granted, you'd never serve it cold, but I don't know that, do I?"

She hated how conceited it sounded, but those had been her mother's words exactly once. At least she could find solace in the fact that she didn't carry the same high handedness in her voice.

"Of course," the man answered, scratching the request down. "I see we're an admirer of entrees being done right. I don't blame you in the slightest."

His grin, showing an expansive range of straight, white teeth reminiscent of a physician, eased her a bit.

"And for your friend?"

Eden noted the waiter's eyes didn't go to Khan, rather sticking on her. And he still smiled just as brightly.

"He'll have the tempeh collard rolls with smoked paprika and prime rib."

"How would he like that cooked?"

"As bloody as you possibly can."

"Personal fetish?"

It was obvious the waiter wasn't as dumb as he appeared and Eden couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, especially when she was reminded of how Khan had thoroughly licked away all the blood after he'd marked her.

"You have no idea."

"Okay. We're not too busy so you should get your meals fairly quick. My name's Eli and if there's anything either of you need, let me know."

"Thank you, Eli."

He nodded before retreating towards the kitchen.

"Your acting skills are nearly as impressive as mine," was the first thing Khan said.

"It wasn't acting. I mean, the food, yes, that was. But not all of us have to pretend to be nice. It comes naturally."

"His eyes were on you the entire time."

"He was being involved. You haven't been a part of my culture long enough to know that that's how you make tips. Eye contact and friendliness."

"He was interested in you."

"He was-."

Eden paused, finally taking Khan in. Just now, she realized it was less of him understanding the cultural norms but more of his irritation that the waiter had indeed focused more attention on her than needed, which bothered him.

"I am a female. And on some days, reasonably attractive. What's so wrong with him being interested?"

"Other than you already being mine?"

"Oh, please," she shrugged off. "That's just something you say because you're naturally barbaric. Plus, you don't actually like me. It's my body you want. Sometimes, it's nice to be thought interesting by someone who doesn't just want to fuck me."

When he didn't respond immediately, Eden took a sip of her water.

"If you wish him to continue living in admirable health, stop speaking to him."

"Being nice is not a crime," she returned, annoyed with his threat.

"And I am not fearful of committing one by killing him. It is a simple enough instruction. Do not encourage him."

"As if you have the right to ask that of me. You hit me a few minutes ago because you can't stand being wrong. I think even humanity's worst criminal would treat me better than you do."

"Is that what you think?"

She hadn't realized until now just how icy his tone had become.

"You've never given me reason to believe otherwise. And if you do, it's because you want me to submit. There is nothing genuine about you, Khan. You live and breathe to satisfy your own needs. Stop pretending like I'm actually worth something other than sexual stimulation, to you."

Stubbornly, Eden kept her eyes glued to her glass. She wouldn't allow him to make her feel guilty for her words. Even if she had a terrible habit of accommodation, that still didn't change who she ultimately knew Khan to be. Yes, there were times she felt there was something more at work between them, but he just as easily reminded her with another action, that it was utterly foolish of her to assume such a thing.

"Stay here."

He slipped out of the booth seconds later, heading in the direction of the restrooms.

"Huh...he actually has bodily functions," she mused.

While he was gone, she leaned back on the booth and thought over her day.

When this became too much of a headache, her fingers rubbed at her bruised cheek.

When this got to be too depressing, she pondered over when Khan would kill her.

After the images that entered her head, Eden vowed to just not think for a little while.

During this attempt at a clear mind, a figure approached her.

"Excuse me?"

Glancing up, Eden absorbed the tall, gray-haired woman standing uncertainly at the edge of the table whose eyes scanned back and forth from her to the direction of the restrooms.

"Hello," Eden greeted.

"May I sit?"

Before she could respond, the woman placed herself timidly on the other side of the booth, eyeing her knowingly.

"You don't know me," the woman began, "but I watched that man who pulled you in here, hit you on the street. Is there anything I can do for you before he returns? Call the police? I could offer you a place to stay if you're afraid to go home with him."

Stunned, Eden opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

The woman's eyes swiveled a little to rest on her cheek.

"Despite having so much equality in the world, few politicians believe domestic abuse is still an issue. But there are very real victims each day. Please, don't become one of those women who stay silent. Speak out against your abuser, or at the very least, get out of the relationship before it turns into a violence you won't survive."

Once again, the woman stole away her ability to respond by sliding a card across the table, only releasing it when Eden's fingers picked it up.

"My name is Grace. I own a bakery not far from here. If you should ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Eden hardly had the time to respond before Grace slid out of the booth and sped to the exit.

"Who was that?"

Khan's voice made her jump, thus knocking her knee painfully against the table.

"Ah-damn it! Why am I in constant physical pain when you're around?" she growled out.

Ignoring the exclamation, Khan regained his spot beside her, eyes watching her dangerously.

"Who was that woman?" he repeated.

"She's an owner of a bakery," she mentioned, readjusting herself in the seat.

She noted there was less space to move around because Khan had slid himself closer to her than he'd been before.

"Why did she want to talk with you?"

"Afraid she had a thing for me?" Eden scowled, glaring at him.

"Do you enjoy endangering the lives of your own species?"

"What kind of question is that? I thought you were supposed to be intellectually superior?"

This silenced him right up and even she was a bit amazed at how saucy that came out.

"Why do you care about who she was?" Eden redirected.

"She was watching us from the moment we sat down from the table closest to the front entrance. What did she want from you?"

Realizing Khan thought her more suspicious than anything else, she eased back in the booth a bit.

"She watched you hit me outside. She wanted to help me escape my abusive relationship."

"How touching," was his sarcastic reply.

The retort bothered her greatly, but she kept her mouth shut. Just for a little while, it'd be nice not to argue with him.

"I have something for you," Khan announced.

Refocusing her gaze, Eden studied him cautiously.

"Why?"

"You are deserving of it."

Faintly, her perverted mind wondered if it was a leash or collar. That would certainly be appropriate of him.

Instead, he took her hand, opened her palm and placed a vile containing a dark maroon liquid inside.

"What is it?" she asked, studying the warm object.

"That is not important. You are to drink it before your food arrives."

Frowning, she went to give him back the vile, but he closed her fingers around it, staring at her.

"Drink it," he repeated.

"Is it poison?"

"Your death would be far more creative than that."

"It looks like blood. But darker," she added, re-examining the vile.

"It is a gift."

"Will it harm me?"

"No."

"Sedate me?"

"One could only hope."

"Make me sleepy?"

"Ideally, no. Drink it."

She wanted to ask why again, but realized he'd only repeat his answer. That she was deserving of it.

"You'll probably threaten someone if I don't."

"I would almost find the notion of you knowing that, romantic."

That ushered out an unexpected laugh from her. Which indicated how fried her nerves were.

"Cheers," she muttered.

With that, she popped open the cap and poured the liquid down her throat.

"Ugh," she moaned, holding a hand to her mouth. "That was ghastly."

"Give it time."

She nodded, brain scrambling to place just what the liquid tasted like.

"That was blood."

"Yes."

Expecting to feel nauseous, Eden was perplexed at the lack of it inside her. As she scooted herself more into a sitting position, she felt her muscles work quicker and without the sluggishness she'd been experiencing the past hour.

"Why would you want me to drink blood? Because I'm starting to think you do have a fetish."

He was watching her expectantly, completely unfazed by her repulsion. In fact, he almost seemed pleased.

"My blood holds-."

"Wait...that was your blood? I drank your blood?"

"Most of your species would consider it a privilege."

"Or disgusting as hell. I can't believe I let you talk me into doing that. I'd have preferred the poison."

"A fair portion of your population, centuries ago, worshiped a religion where it was thought righteous to drink the blood of their Messiah."

"That hardly compares to this."

"You do not see it now, but it was for your benefit."

"How?"

"Does your body ail you?"

It wasn't until he asked this that she realized the dull throbbing in her cheek had stopped and that the tender area where she'd banged her knee, was no longer painful to touch and that her tailbone didn't sting each time she wriggled around in her spot.

"It would be more believable upon seeing it yourself. Here."

He offered her a pocket sized electronic map that just as easily faded out the locations and brought about a mirror.

Cautiously, she brought it up to her face.

Only to find her skin completely clear of any mark or bruising.

"That's incredible."

"My blood holds healing capabilities that would not be found even in your most advanced of medicines. It allows me to withstand much of which your species would succumb to."

"You're superior even in your blood."

"Yes."

"I never stood a chance."

"No, but the attempts were always amusing."

Returning the mirror to him, Eden sat in a stunned wonder, not immediately picking up on the fact that her thigh was now touching his.

"I'm deserving of it. What does that mean?"

"I do not want you damaged."

"I was when you first kidnapped me."

"Circumstances have changed since then."

"Does this mean-."

She didn't finish the thought, too worried about the answer.

"What?"

"You can hit me whenever you want. Break my bones. And all you have to do is force that blood down my throat and I'll be healed. Then, you can do it all over again."

"I see that striking you now as opposed to the times I have before, has bore a greater impact. It was never truly my goal to harm you. I know that to get what I wish from you, I must restrain from treating you with physical blows simply because we differ in opinion. That, for the moment, is the most sufficient answer I will give."

She knew she was pushing it, but Khan's tone was missing that malice which always made her weary of trusting him.

"Promise me you won't hit me again."

"Is that not what I have essentially done?"

"No. This is different."

"I don't understand."

"I know you don't. But it means something to me."

"If you need a simplified statement, it is yours. I promise to not hit you again."

"Okay."

"And yet you sound disbelieving?"

"How smart would it be to believe you at this point? No, I wanted you to say it so I would know just how convincing you can be. And that tone of voice you took on...as if you truly meant it...I'll be sure to look out for that in the future."

Khan momentarily allowed surprise to cross his face.

"You honestly do not believe me?"

"Not in the slightest. You're violent."

"I will not use it against you."

"Until I tempt it out. It's an empty promise made for selfish reasons."

"Then time shall tell how entirely truthful I am being."

Funnily enough, Eden actually believed Khan meant to keep his promise.

And yet, for the life of her, she couldn't tell him this. Because that would give him an unspeakable advantage over her. His tone had been dead sober and as sincere as she'd ever heard it. Hearing it again while actually telling a lie, may very well be the end of her.

No, right now, it was better to feign ignorance.

"As annoying as your disbelief is, I am strangely aroused by the idea of you not thinking me sincere."

"That's disturbing."

"From your view, perhaps. But it gives me pleasure to not only prove you wrong, but watch you think rather than accept what is said."

"Be careful," she warned, face lighting up as their food came into view, "you might actually begin liking me for something other than my body."

* * *

**We certainly met some different sides of Khan. Which ones can be trusted? Let me know your thoughts in a review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Again, I apologize for not having this chapter up, but editing was a huge problem this time around. I swear if you guys ever saw the first draft of these chapters, you'd revoke my FF licence and force me into becoming a hobo. STID came out! Fantastic. I don't own it yet and probably won't until Christmas. Trying to save up so I can study abroad in England next fall. But I will keep at updating. Many of you have been curious as to when exactly the events of STID will begin. Well, there's a reason why Khan told Eden to enjoy her last day before they relocated. Hint, hint. Though, so far, she's spent a majority of it with him. And the day's not over yet either! As always, thank you so much for the reviews and comments and support. Undoubtedly, you guys are some of the best reviewers I've had on this site. Reviews ground me and remind me that I have to write more so someone can enjoy it as much as I have. Anywho, hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 12**

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Eden's concentration snapped, gaze steadily falling to the slim man sucking the life out of a cigarette.

"It is," she agreed. "Not just physically either."

The man inclined his head to the side, as if the observation caught him off guard. In turn, this caused his chestnut red hair to swoop across his forehead, allowing her a clearer look at the freckles scattered lightly across his beige complexion.

Though it was juvenile and entirely out of the blue, Eden was struck with the sudden urge to compare bang lengths with him. It was something she thought he'd secretly find amusement in considering his locks were practically tickling his eyelids and hers were on the verge of becoming an extension of her eyebrows.

Upon escaping from the basement (perhaps being allowed to would be the proper terminology), she had skipped grooming her bangs despite vowing to cut them while imprisoned. After a proper shower and a few arched strokes of a comb, the length honestly hadn't looked so bad as to warrant a cut by her often uneven snips.

Days later, however, and she was reconsidering that choice. It seemed whenever her body took on physical strain which resulted in sweating of any sort, the bounce from her bangs regressed into damp, black strands of obstruction. And the man standing not even a full ten feet away, reminded her all too well of what could happen should she not snip the pesky strands right away.

"What do you mean by that?" he inquired.

She couldn't place an accent on him instantly, but from the time she'd lived in London, guessed he was a foreigner. Maybe mimicking an older mix of Irish and English she only recognized because of classical films, especially prominent in the enunciation of his vowels.

Though, these days, it was so hard to tell where a person hailed from by accent alone. Much of the British Isles were industrialized into cities resembling London, leaving little room for old villages to retain their individual accents. For all she knew, he could have lived in London his entire life and picked up on the accent from his family.

"Not just the colors. I mean, though, they are beautiful too," she elaborated, eyes wandering back to the large apparatus. "Loud and unique, especially against an evening where it looks like the sky is on the verge of releasing a bad storm. But it's beautiful because it's survived for so long. A floating balloon among metal giants and extraterrestrial ships."

Understanding dawned first in the man's lips - a bright, pinkish hue. With more animation than she'd seen up to this point, he discarded the cigarette beneath him, crushing it with a steel-toe boot, before biting at his lips. As if he were judging how serious she was being.

"Ever been in space?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"No. I've always wanted to go, but I have a horrific fear of being left to drift indefinitely without a ship," she confessed, smiling timidly. "I've self diagnosed myself with a mix of astrophobia and agoraphobia."

"I don't blame you one bit," he expressed encouragingly. "There's an old saying my mum used to tell me. It was passed on through her side of the family, said to have been popular in her great-granddad's day. Went something like 'the sky is the limit'. Not quite true, I'll admit. But great thing about planets is that physically, skies do end. A focused point of separation from space. We've got atmosphere, space doesn't. This is reassuring because it gives people like you and I a chance to reach for the stars without floating away."

She could tell he spoke the words from the heart, and that he possibly suffered an aversion to space similar to hers, though not concrete enough to be considered a phobia. It was more personal, she thought, by his wavering tone. His fear wasn't of what space could do to him physically, but the illusion of death it portrayed. Death that had struck him somewhere throughout his life.

"Would you, had you the chance?" he pursued, glancing up. "Go up there, I mean. Despite your fear."

She didn't hesitate in her response.

"Without a doubt. Might be a little bit more difficult to convince me, but there's so much out there that books and data alone can't show me. So much I'd like to see."

Granted, it was a peculiar time to suddenly discuss why Eden's fear bothered her enough to avoid wanting a career in an agency like Starfleet, but she could never dislodge, however unlikely the situation was, the worries from her mind.

Death happened every minute. That never worried her about traveling in an airless environment.

But being stolen away from the safety of a ship through a tear or open door by billions of molecules into a soundless, vacant darkness and left to hover indefinitely - provided the subzero temperatures didn't kill her first - dampened any excitement she felt for exploration.

Which is probably why Earth suited her so perfectly. She enjoyed being grounded. Having stable dirt and soil beneath her and gravity to keep her from floating away despite her ideas and thoughts often shooting beyond the limits of the skyline.

"I heard it's spectacular up there," the man mentioned as if it were a rumor he'd heard, shifting in place.

"Me too. Probably better than the pictures I've seen. Pictures can't ever get the image down properly."

He glanced at her again, eyeing her considerately.

"My name is Galen."

Eden turned just as the gray clouds behind him lit up like a spark.

"Eden."

"Like my transportation of choice then, Eden?"

He smiled impishly, already knowing the answer. She'd stared at it long enough.

"I do," she conceded, revealing a relaxed smile of her own. "Is it really yours?"

"Yep. Acquired it four years ago as a twenty-first birthday gift from my dad. Bloody hard to find in this age and he of course knew I couldn't handle space properly. Hunted for a good year before he found it. Took a month to repair the panels and valve cord, but by the time I got it, you couldn't ever tell it'd been in rotten shape."

"And you fly it whenever you want?"

"Yes. I work the odd jobs around London, but when I'm not busy, enjoy taking anyone who wants to for a small fee, up. Not particularly popular because like you hinted at, it's outdated. Who wants to fly in a hot air balloon when the common car reaches speeds of two hundred miles per hour through the air and our best space ships can reach alien planets? But there's always a few who appreciate it for its simplicity."

"It's an escape," she concluded, slowly beginning to understand the perks of owning such a contraption.

There was a short pause before he responded.

"Want a ride?"

Catching her off guard, Eden stumbled over an answer.

"I...don't have any money."

"Good. Cause I didn't ask if you had any."

His infectious grin continued to erode the grim mood she'd been in an hour prior. And informed her just how committed he was to the request.

"Promise you won't throw me out?"

"Come on," he insisted, laughing softly. "I'm wee. I mean, thin and tall, yeah, but I've got about as much strength as a teenage boy going through puberty. Enough to fly the balloon, of course, but that'd take the wind out of me alone."

"That, surprisingly enough, is a comfort," she remarked graciously, palms grasping her hair together before securing it in a loose, half-hearted pony tail. "We'll get this in before the storm comes, right? It's heading into London from the other part of the city. Should be a few hours before it gets to the outskirts."

Galen craned his neck behind to study the mutinous clouds gravitating towards the skyscrapers.

"We'll be in the clear for a good two hours or so. And it looks like this one will break up somewhere over the center of the city. But there's another one coming after it. Sky's a darker silver if you look far enough. Soon as the wind is strong enough to knock us off course, I'm planting her down. No need for accidents."

Eden needed no further conviction and when Galen offered her his palm, she grasped it with an excitement that'd been missing from her for an entirely too long a time.

/./././././././././

The scenery was stunning.

It took a few pumps of the burner and some excited yelling on Galen's part about how lucky it was they had the perfect wind direction, before Eden's eyes adjusted to how much green was spread across the landscape. Not exactly lush or bright since a constant storm cloud hung over the rolling hills and bending trees, darkening the world below, but everything looked alive and positively teeming. Likely even anticipating the coming storm.

And that alone garnered deep admiration from her.

The city, despite all of its bright attractions and fast paced life, ultimately lost its power to amaze once one understood how artificial and bleak reality could still be even with the conveniences.

The countryside - and she knew it wasn't truly the countryside of decades, even centuries past for one could still make out a business here or there as well as a hospital among the green - stole away the anxiety one faced. Something about that sort of power, especially seeing it after years of constant movement and metal scenery, resonated with her. Possibly because it reminded her of traveling across the States as a child, appreciating the calm nights without the constant sputtering of engines or slapping of feet across concrete.

A good half hour later of being lightly battered around by the wind and Eden's mind turned to a question that admittedly bothered her a bit. Not in a nasty way, but rather one of curiosity.

Why only now was she reacting so actively to the presence of green beneath her?

There were tons of parks in London. Areas to get away for the maddening rush of people and automobiles. The entire city had been trying to become the greenest, most environmental friendly place on Earth. Unsuccessfully, she thought, but they were trying and that's what mattered.

So, why was seeing it all from a distance, that damned remarkable?

She reflected over this musing with her chin resting on a palm, elbow dug into the edge of the basket, briefly allowing nature to consume her senses, hoping perhaps it could offer an answer.

In the meantime, a fairly sharp wind whipped around whatever strands of hair she'd missed including into her ponytail. The air smelled damp and clean at the same time. The air quality in particular, she noted, was missing that ever present taste of pollution found in London.

Every now and again, a shiver ran through her, but by inching her way delicately towards the burning propane near the skirt of the balloon, she was able to avoid a lot of the goosebumps.

Though, interestingly enough, stepping backwards soon became unnecessary because her skin not only began gradually adapting to the wind, but the drop in temperature as well, despite their rise in elevation.

She thought she knew why. It's what allowed her to run for so long without gasping for breath. What allowed her to have enough of an endurance to escape into the outskirts of London just on foot alone. What was currently keeping her body heat a few degrees warmer than normal without sufficiently sickening her.

Khan's blood.

After departing from his side for a second time, intending to bury the memory of the awkward meal they shared, primarily consisting of him watching her eat, Eden pondered over why he had given her his blood.

He'd claimed she was deserving of it, but this implied so many separate trains of thought that she simply wasn't prepared to journey to them all in the matter of a few hours. So, she internally decided there was an unknown consequence she wasn't yet aware of. Why else would a superior being give someone he constantly thought inferior, his own blood?

And yet, not all of her could be convinced this was another ploy. He'd fed her blood that allowed her to walk a sizable three miles in twenty minutes (most of which she spent musing over his motive). Blood that allowed her to combat the elements and adapt just a little bit easier to a London day where a sweatshirt was almost mandatory to avoid a good case of the shivers. Blood that he certainly boasted the importance of, but in a moment of his own aggression, decided on giving away to the person he constantly belittled.

Not constantly, she supposed. He was getting just a tad bit better about not being so hostile in actions or words towards her. And he complimented her ability to think quickly, once or twice. A miraculous achievement considering where they first started out. Which made her wonder if what he'd said was true when they were wrapped up in that heated discussion on the sidewalk. Was it possible he was seeing and treating her as less of a pet?

It hurt to think about this for so many reasons that her brain, usually alert and up for any challenge, simply decided to block out this portion of thought. Maybe later, it assured her, they could conclusively think this over. In a bar.

Or an asylum.

Progressing toward the outskirts of London wasn't exactly planned out, but since her feet were heading in that direction anyway, she didn't bother slowing down. An inner hyper-activeness guided her. A resolute will. Sturdier and determined to make finding her an actual challenge. In fact, her brain ushered out a simple question that while initially, made her laugh, actually made better sense after a second thought.

What would Khan do?

Crazy, right? If she took the time to answer this question literally, a great deal of London's population would be thoroughly insulted, and perhaps half of that, dead. Who knew what the madman did in his free time?

But, it wasn't a completely unsound thing to wonder. He was currently evading the clutches of numerous law enforcers and their departments. Obviously, he was doing something right.

Rather than risk anybody's life unintentionally by asking for help or attempting to blend into the masses, Eden continued a path of weaving through gradually depopulated streets and away from the giant skyscrapers. She didn't know where she was headed exactly, but out of the heart of the city ended up being a reoccurring suggestion. Away from people who could potentially give away her location, away from cameras and surveillance, and away from crowded sidewalks and even more crowded buildings.

The outskirts of London, with its sparseness and occasional business structure and clusters of villages every few miles, became the goal. And the longer she thought over what Khan had said about outrunning a pursuer intent on doing her harm, the quicker her pace became.

His blood didn't work complete magic, of course. Once the skyscrapers were all behind her and more trees appeared in her vantage point, Eden felt the first signs of tightening in her calves and cramping in her sides.

But considering each ailment should have hit her miles ago, she thought she could power through them both for a little while longer.

In less than an hour, she left a good majority of the city behind and stumbled upon the nearest village where grass finally outweighed concrete. A place called Hathaway, according to a nearby sign.

After peering curiously at her surroundings and wondering how she could make use of them, Eden glanced up, slightly worried to see turbulent skies above her.

Gray, grim, and dangerous.

And in this gaze upward, a gigantic balloon of sorts, outfitted in shades of midnight blue, blazing red and fiery orange, ended up obstructing a good chunk of her view.

There was a split second initially where her brain froze, not comprehending what it was seeing before her. What was this enormous, balloon-shaped object being bullied by the wind? What purpose could it possibly serve?

And rest assured, it's an odd feeling not being able to identify something despite seeing it with your own two eyes.

But upon making her way over and viewing the entire structure from up close, she recalled not only the name, but its recreational use from a book she'd read during school in Pennsylvania. The book had to do with ancient methods of transportation prior to the air friendly mobilization so common nowadays. And the hot air balloon, in its colorful glory, had miraculously stayed glued inside her mind. Possibly because as Galen had described, it was so simple.

There had been no further plan up to that point regarding where she was to go next. Running further was always an option, but she had no money to her name (money she'd need to really get some distance) and eventually, she assumed Khan would figure out she left the city and begin a hunt after her.

Accepting a ride in the balloon had been impulsive and perhaps rooted in a slight desire to quell her thirst for doing something adventurous. That and it was a relief to meet a kindred spirit in Galen.

After that, she placed her faith in the wind and amazement in the scenery.

Oh, was it really that easy? Had it been staring her in the face all this time and she didn't see?

Eden smiled sadly, finally recognizing that may very well be the underlying answer she'd been searching for. Why the scene below her struck so powerfully.

She needed it as a form of replenishment.

Why?

Well, the reasons were surprisingly simple. The problem, however, was she never made it a habit to feel self-pity. At least not for long periods of time. Life didn't have a pause button. It sped by. You either learn to jump on board or waste your time sobbing on the tracks.

So, again, she forced herself to determine the real reasons as to why the scene below was so emotionally serene. And before releasing these answers, made peace with the fact that it was okay she wasn't quite as happy with her life as she would have liked.

Gone were her parents. Deceased, leaving her effectively alone. Effectively because there were individuals who complained about being alone, and yet still had a family to come home to.

Eden, to her knowledge, had no one left. And though the world could serve as her source of entertainment, it didn't change the fact that when she got home at the end of the day, she watched TV, ate, read, showered, and slept alone.

It gets tiring after awhile, talking to empty walls.

There was also being so close to twenty, yet having accomplished so little for herself. Individuals were exploring alien planets and she'd only ridden in her first hover-cab little more than a week ago. She'd been adventurous as a child. She had motivation and a will to do something great. When had the complacency set in?

Then, of course, there was Khan.

Well, his influence was self explanatory.

"Are you alright, Eden?"

She fought the instinct to jump, not noticing Galen had made his way over to her side, forearms resting on the basket.

"Of course," she smiled, meeting his eyes.

"You're crying."

Patting one cheek, Eden stared at the watery residue on her fingers.

"I-."

"I've gotten that reaction before," he reassured. "I'll hold nothing against you. But, if it's okay, I think we should make our way back down. Winds really striking hard now."

Upon opening her mouth, a few strands of her hair entered it.

"Sounds great," she mentioned, pulling the pesky buggers out.

"Odd that the storm would generate two customers," Galen continued on, turning and giving the cord a firm tug, "though, I'm glad I got you in. I'll have to tell the bloke waiting below to come back tomorrow, maybe."

As Galen worked at steering them back toward their departing point, Eden leisurely glanced over the side of the basket, hoping the figure below wasn't who she thought it was.

"Shit."

Faintly, she conceived an idea to beg Galen if he could just let the storm take them. Allow the wind to be their vessel. Their guide.

But after realizing this would probably get them killed or stranded in the ocean, she quelled this desire down.

There was a fair amount of jarring around her body experienced as the wind grew increasingly wicked, but Galen was an expert at handling his machine. She may have gotten knocked around a bit, but eventually, he landed the craft as safely as he could, face red and excited.

Eden's legs shook a little, especially when Galen opened the basket door for her and she attempted to walk in a straight line.

"Easy now," he maneuvered, placing his hand on her elbow. "Sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry about. You did great," she assured, feeling her equilibrium spike back to normal once she felt grass beneath her.

Slowly, Galen eased his touch off her, instead, turning his attentions to the figure standing ten feet away from them.

"Sorry, mate, but you'll have to come back tomorrow. She's not good to go with the storm coming."

As if to emphasize his point, the sky above them released a menacing crackle.

Swallowing her displeasure, Eden finally made eye contact with Khan, hoping to convey a sense of being put together as opposed to someone who just recently was brought to tears by recalling how lonely their life was.

"My interest is not in your outdated machine," he responded steadily, voice giving the thunder a run for its money in rumble. "Rather, it's with your customer."

Ignoring the glacial stare he aimed at her, Eden turned to Galen, sensing this would be the last they'd be seeing each other again. The alternative was to get him involved in this silent game between herself and Khan.

Definitely not a choice.

"You didn't have to do any of this," she remarked, mustering up a thankful grin. "But regardless...thank you."

Galen shrugged, but she could tell the compliment pleased him because his shoulders were tucked in shyly and he kept a fair amount of eye contact with her, smile in place.

"Did it help a bit?" he asked. "With the fear of floating away."

"It was the perfect place between the ground and sky."

He offered her his hand and she took it graciously, making no comment when he placed his opposite hand atop it as well.

"Happy travels, Eden. Be safe."

"You as well."

With that, they released each other and he made his way back to the machine, eyeing the preparations that would need to be made to ensue its' safety during the storm.

Eden didn't bother holding back the pang of disappointment coursing through her. In another life time, or more accurately, if she didn't have a psychopath bent on gaining her submission at all costs, she envisioned herself being friends with someone like Galen.

Perhaps even more, one day.

It was the reminder that this life time didn't exist and that quite often, life wasn't fair, that made it disappointing to watch him stroll out of her life. A lonely one, at that.

"Follow me and keep up. You will not enjoy what happens if I have to slow down."

He'd snuck up on her, voice lethal and deep, mouth hovering right above her ear.

"No compliments this time?" she mumbled apathetically. "Damn, I could have sworn it took you longer to find me."

He didn't verbally respond, instead, grabbing a hold of her arm and tugging her after him.

She couldn't decipher what sort of mood he was in. More importantly, she was becoming physically exhausted. And they still had a long walk ahead of them (in which they'd most likely get drenched) before they got back to the heart of London.

By his grip alone, she could tell he wasn't happy.

What a shocker.

And by his silence, something was most likely on his mind.

So, she worked on keeping up with his long steps, refusing to let him know how uncomfortably tight his hold was becoming.

/./././././././././

"What are we doing here?"

Rather than answer, Khan continued staring at her blankly.

After miles of walking (him dragging her along, if one wanted to be more accurate) and a trip by train to reach central London (he must have decided to take mercy on her when her breathing became audible - certainly not her fault, though, considering he took strides far faster than a human), they were now standing in an alleyway not even a full mile away from her home.

She thought after they'd exited the train, in a drier state than the drenched one they'd entered in, she'd be tugged home. He hadn't once released his grip from her, though it had lessened in intensity on the train.

Alas, she was mistaken.

Just as her street came into view, he pushed her into the alleyway without so much as a warning. The skies were still stormy and while the rain had momentarily receded, she knew it'd be back. So did a lot of residents, leaving the streets eerily sparse.

There was no one around to document that she'd been pushed into the alleyway and if Khan decided to murder her, no one could say they even saw her in the vicinity.

Fantastic.

"You won. Congratulations," she tried when he wouldn't budge, rubbing at her forearms. "But to be honest, you have an advantage over me. Money. Probably not yours, but it gets you from place to place. I have none. There's no way I could officially even leave outer London, lest I hitchhiked. And I certainly don't want to put my trust in the wrong person just to make this fun for you."

He still said nothing.

Sighing, Eden tiredly released her hair from its ponytail.

"Can we go home?"

A shiver passed through her when she asked this, making her voice sound weaker than it usually was.

Something must have struck Khan about her question because his features regained animation ever so subtly. Eyes narrowing, but not in anger. As if he were attempting to deduce something.

"Repeat your statement," he demanded, tone not nearly as harsh as she imagined it'd be.

In fact, it sounded somewhat startled.

"Can we go home?" she repeated, unsure of his angle. "I'd like to take a shower and sleep."

Khan approached slowly at first, eyes never once straying from her.

"You would consider it my home as well?"

Her comprehension skills had been dulled somewhat by the day's adventure, leaving her momentarily confused about his question.

"You said _we_," he clarified.

"I didn't mean-," she paused, head pounding as she recounted her words. "You're going to tag along anyway. I might as well include you, right?"

She didn't think her slip of the tongue was a big deal, but Khan must have because in five blurry seconds, he had her pressed up against the alley wall, hands pinning her to the granite by her forearms.

His action wasn't done aggressively and by a quick scan, he didn't appear to be visibly angry.

Which calmed her down a bit.

But aided to her confusion as well.

"I can smell him on you," he suddenly announced.

There existed a danger in his tone, but Eden was far too weary to debate it.

Inhaling the misty air, she commented, "The power to super sniff must really get annoying."

"For his sake, your hand better be the only part of you he touched."

"Oh, stop it," she argued, wanting to roll her eyes. "I am allowed to shake hands with men. I am allowed to touch men. I am allowed to-."

Her next words died when Khan buried his face into her neck, cold nose and warm lips skimming the damp surface, sending a fierce jolt through her entire body.

Before she could protest this unexpected turn of events, Khan shoved his way through the remaining inches between their bodies.

"God," she mumbled, certainly not expecting how much warmer she'd feel when his chest pressed against her breasts, his hips dug into her own, and legs covered hers like an insect being pinned to glass.

All at once.

There was a sensation of headiness she experienced, perhaps a cousin to euphoria, that nearly made her incapable of witnessing Khan's quick motions.

Where once, he had his face buried in her neck, he then retreated, cheek brushing furiously across hers while his hands repeatedly ran themselves over her arms. Just when she thought he'd be content with one spot, his head suddenly reappeared by her opposite cheek, lips ghosting over her skin, nose past her ear, making her jerk and sigh at the same time.

_Rubbing. _

Touching.

_Grinding_.

He was everywhere at once.

She opened her mouth, not to protest his actions, but so she could breathe, nearly choking on oxygen when his attentions traveled down to her collar bone, lips only grazing the skin, but eliciting multiple shivers that had her leaning further and further into his body. The same body that did nothing to repel the growing heat between them. Whether purposefully or unconsciously, she was beginning to believe the latter, his hips would roll intimately into her own like the aftershocks of an earthquake, involuntarily making her wish to part her own legs just a little so the delicious friction could increase.

Sometime during what was probably becoming one of the most peculiar moments of her life, Khan dropped her hands, his own searching for exposed skin she might possess, rubbing these areas soothingly before moving on to another patch he hadn't yet made it to. A few times, he intentionally yanked her t-shirt up a few centimeters just so his fingers could skim over a new surface, nearly causing her to smack her head into the brick behind her.

Despite the severe unexpectedness of the situation and knowing who he naturally was and the gloriously strange ministrations he was showering upon her body, Eden couldn't bring herself to believe this- whatever this was, sprouted out of violence.

Yes, the touches were intrusive and his hips were insistent and his soft, full lips were everywhere at once and his head brushed over every ounce of skin she had and he must have known her nipples had gotten hard because his chest suddenly mimicked a fainter rhythm normally consistent with his hips - nearly forcing a moan out of her because she was finally getting that delicious friction - but, in all honesty (and she wondered why she didn't hate herself for admitting this), the touches were uniquely mindful and passionate.

Of course, in his own way, she supposed he was being aggressive. Each time she attempted to shift away from his touch (usually because it tickled), his grip got tighter as he made it his mission to practically embed her into the brick wall.

But his touches weren't painful, even if she felt slightly violated.

In a moment of strength that must have been sent to her from a deity and her common sense combined, she regained her voice, eyes fluttering shut when his hands gripped her hips and his mouth suddenly opened, tongue running over the area where his mark use to reside prior to drinking his blood.

"Stop!"

The pleasure may have taken her by surprise, but she still had no idea what threw him into this sudden frenzy of wanting to orally and physically molest her skin. A pleasant molestation, but a molestation nonetheless. One she needed to ignore or else the shaking in her legs and twisting in her stomach would be the least of her problems.

When Khan removed his mouth, she immediately felt cold.

But she ignored the loss – and the arrythmic beating of her heart – instead, pushing forth all her energy into meeting his eyes.

Unfortunately, her legs wanted to shake harder upon seeing what rested in his focused stare.

Oh, yes, primal Khan was back with a vengeance. And though he had heard her protest, everything in his face looked as if he wished to ignore it.

"Khan, get off," she commanded, attempting to slip her arms from in between their torsos. "I don't want-."

"If you finish your sentence with what I assume you will, I may very well fuck you so violently against this wall that it will render your legs permanently useless," he promised darkly, voice shooting through her spine like lava. "Appeal to my logic as you have done before. And, if you even _dare_ attempt to deny that you enjoyed this, I will make sure all of London hears you scream the name of the man who owns you. "

His words scared her shitless, but Eden had faced this Khan before.

In the basement and in her bed.

She knew, at least to an extent, where to steer the conversation.

Though, one could hopefully forgive her for taking a few seconds to mentally and physically collect herself.

"Let's go home," she decided slowly, knowing that before he'd begun his salacious touching, the idea of them going to her home together, made him curious. "I'll take a shower and you can...watch TV. I don't have very good channels, I'm afraid. Or you could read. I have lots of Pettiger. He's this incredible author from New Beijing, who died very recently, but wrote his novels around why Utopian societies are ultimately devastating. Makes me think of paradise and that it could never be what we imagine. Can there be a place so perfect without ultimately having an insidious price its paid to remain that way?"

She knew she was babbling at this point, but she underestimated just how nervous she always got when attempting to subdue his primal side. And in the back of her head, she always feared that her words wouldn't be enough, leaving him to do as he wanted regardless.

Thankfully, this time around wasn't the case.

Her body lost a surprising amount of heat when he finally disentangled himself from her, but upon rubbing at an itch on her nose, Eden picked up on something somewhat troubling.

"Explain to me what you just did," she requested, suddenly more aware of how much he actually towered not just in height, but in width, over her.

"The man who-."

"Galen," she added.

And immediately wished she hadn't. Khan didn't look particularly pleased she knew him by name.

"-his scent lingered on you after you shook his hand."

"It can't have been that powerful," she brushed off. "We only touched a few times."

"Regardless, you were carrying it. I do not enjoy smelling another man on you. I do not enjoy you returning the pathetic attentions of a man who is undeserving of you. I least of all enjoy you not bearing my scent. So, I felt it only appropriate to mask you in it."

She made the connection as soon as she'd sniffed her hand, but actually hearing him admit to it made the fact all the more real.

"It would have been more efficient were we less clothed. But you are unendurably keen on your modesty."

Ignoring his quip, she surmised, "I doubt the rubbing and grinding up on me like I was a stripper pole, was actually necessary. Couldn't you have shaken my hand like Galen had? "

"Now where would the fun in that be?"

Her desire to hit him came without warning, but it was quelled by the look on his face.

Khan appeared positively at ease. Not quite smiling, but wearing a light smirk. His shoulders weren't rigid with anger, but slumped ever so slightly. In fact, were they sitting down, Eden might have finally witnessed Khan in his first non-rigid posture ever.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" she noticed, unsure as to why the anger didn't make it into her voice.

"I did not think you being doused in my scent would please me so much," he admitted. "Nor do I think you will wish to know _why_ it pleases me so much."

"Because I'm yours?" she guessed. "Which means nothing to me, by the way."

"Your continuous denial only makes me more determined to prove you wrong. Though, I find myself curious as to your knowledge regarding a species other than humanity."

"I'm most familiar with Romulans, but I know of others."

"That is decent," he accepted. "You will come to find humanity, compared to the other races in existence, are unsurprisingly inferior. Mainly, your sense of smell."

"You get crazy when you smell someone else on me," she defended. "I doubt I'd like being able to smell things so sharply."

"I become unhappy because you allow them to freely leave their odorous stenches on you. But that is beside the point. There are a variety of alien races on the planets in this galaxy alone, Romulans included, who have a superior sense of smell. While human males may not be able to detect my scent on you, these other races can. They know enough to distance themselves from you, understanding you are already claimed by another."

"Wait," she stopped him, "you're saying that if I was to run into a cluster of friendly Romulans, they'd walk the other way because they'd smell you on me?"

"Beneficial, is it not?" he inquired, far too pleased with himself. "Especially since you have an inconvenient habit of befriending unnecessary amounts of people."

"But what if they didn't care that I was claimed and I told them I didn't care that I was claimed and I decided to speak to them?" Eden argued, finally beginning to understand the repercussions of Khan's action.

"Seeing as you left the city without seeking help from anyone, I doubt you would be so thoughtless as to endanger their lives."

It took a good moment for it to sink in.

"Did you seriously just make it so I can't have a single intergalactic friend?"

Yep, his face suddenly didn't seem so innocent anymore.

"What use is the company of anyone other than myself?"

His seriousness unsettled her deeply.

"I don't even like you. Of course I'm going to seek the company of others," she protested. "Khan...you can't just-God-I hate you so much. You know that, right?"

"Insignificant."

"Insignificant?" she repeated, voice rising to somewhere just below a squeak.

But she forced herself to retain a semblance of control. Part of her still wanted to get across just how wrong what he did, truly was.

"Let's use you as an example," she decided, bringing her hands together. "You hate me. I'm inferior, I'm disgusting, and I'm human. What if I was to do the same thing to you? Rub myself on you and make it so no other alien species - or those who could smell me on you - were able to talk to you for fear of me killing them? Firstly, you hate me. So, my companionship would suck. Secondly, let's imagine you actually weren't rude to everyone. You would genuinely want to speak with beings for informational purposes. Or even become friends. But you can't. Because someone claimed you. Tell me that wouldn't make you furious."

"It would not."

"Liar."

"Do not proceed to think you know me better than myself."

Now, he was getting testy. And closer to her.

"I have no use for small talk and I can easily learn information through your modern conveniences. It would not bother me to have only one being to converse with."

"But you hate me," Eden reasoned in exasperation.

"I gave you my blood," he practically growled, definitely unhappy now. "Do you honestly believe this reflects my hatred of you?"

Comments like these really messed with her mind because she had no way of knowing if he was being truthful or not.

What she did know was that Khan looked very much ready for an argument, a scowl balanced carefully on his lips.

Eden, on the other hand, wasn't. His confusing statement reminded her that she was still cold, wet, and really hoping a shower could not only relieve both of these ailments, but potentially wash away the scent Khan had essentially branded her with.

So, to ease tensions (and partially because his bipolar attitude was going to make her lose it), she stepped directly before him, brought up her hand, then, proceeded to run it the opposite way through Khan's hair, making the annoyingly slicked back strands, fall apart into loose curls over his forehead.

She'd have laughed at the final display - making him appear far more boyish than what should have been legal - but she wanted to live long enough to take a shower. Plus, she was still partially vexed at him.

Nevertheless, she did succeed in thoroughly confusing the man, as obvious by his eyebrows pulling together and his swift scan of her receding hand.

"Let's go home," she repeated a final time.

When he didn't follower her towards the mouth of the alleyway immediately, she knew she _really_ had him stumped.

And yet, considering the amount of times he'd done the same to her, she didn't think it was such a cruel trade off.

Moments later and he wordlessly caught up to her side, staring at her every so often.

She ignored him for the most part as a light drizzle returned. Though, she couldn't help but notice he hadn't made a single alteration to the mess she'd made of his hair.

* * *

**I think I'm going to create a soundtrack between these two. They are very deserving of it. And I wonder how many of us would vehemently be opposed to Mr. Cumberbatch rubbing himself into our skin, thus bathing us in his scent so that others would essentially 'back off'? Yep, I'm hearing crickets. Oh, and a word of advice to anyone who writes a female character that has bangs. Don't forget that they do, lol. Unless the bangs play an essential role in the story, you're most likely going to forget. Don't forget. It becomes awkward when in the transition of one scene to another. Say, for example, a woman glances at a man from beneath her bangs. Next scene has the man suddenly kissing the woman's clear forehead. It makes me laugh, especially when I screw it up, because I wonder to myself 'what could have possibly happened to her bangs in that short amount of time that would make them disappear? Did they get frightened off by the man and decide to fall off? Did they recede back into her hairline and will be ready to come out at a more convenient time (usually, this is where the author remembers their character has bangs and writes in a little blurb about them, hoping everyone didn't notice their mistake a chapter or so ago)'. Let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**As always, thank you infinitely for the reviews. I don't know if I'd still be writing this without them. They are thoughtful, descriptive and honest. I want to thank you all a million times for them. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Eden exited her bathroom an hour later clad in red plaid pajama bottoms and a gray sweatshirt equipped with quite possibly the softest fabric on the planet. The sweatshirt itself (physically misleading regarding comfort because of its outer bulkiness) had been a gift from her mother after she'd dropped the news they'd be moving to London. And on a night where Eden still felt cold to the bone despite having enjoyed a lengthy and steamy shower, the overpriced garment was much appreciated.

"I was under the impression females from this time dressed in more appealing clothing when retiring for the evening."

"Wrong impression," she returned, not even bothering to spare a glance at Khan's figure by the door. "Plus, not trying to be attractive."

"That is evident."

She wanted to roll her eyes, but even that action felt too exhausting.

Instead, she pulled back the heavy, crimson duvet and tiredly slipped into bed, only remembering at the last minute she was lying exactly where Khan had earlier in the morning.

Shortly after her sigh of agitation, she clicked off a nearby lamp and snuggled deeper into her sheets, wet hair briefly tickling the side of her face.

Though darkness stretched through her bedroom with massive intensity, Eden could still see fine. Her bedroom window was clear of blinds and welcomed a good amount of illumination each time lightning lit up the skies (lightning and thunderstorms were always two phenomenons she found comfort in watching). Her eyesight adjusted soon after, making her feel strangely alert despite the exhaustion weighing down upon her body.

"Have you ever given your blood to a human before?"

Eden knew he was still in the room. If catching his outline from the corner of her eye didn't prove it, then she could rely on presence alone. Something he had a great amount of.

Her point wasn't to necessarily make conversation with him. Frankly, she thought he'd depart after her shower. Well, hoped, at least. There was something unnaturally surreal about being watched for this long a time without him once getting bored.

But he still lurked at the entrance of the room, silent as ever. At least she could get some questions answered about the future of her physical health.

"You are the first."

His footsteps were oddly gentle across the carpet. As if he didn't want to alarm her with his nearness.

"Any guesses as to why I feel so physically depleted?"

He paused from wherever he stood, back to eyeing her closely.

"You are having a negative reaction to my blood?"

Khan sounded genuinely surprised and in response, she tried not to let this get her riled up. What were the honest chances that his blood would react badly in her body and kill her?

No, definitely not worried.

Well, maybe a bit.

"I think with all that's happened today, no one would blame me for being exhausted. But...," she hesitated, unsure if she should reveal this next bit of information, "I don't think I have enough energy to even lift up my arm."

Before she could blink, Khan was standing on the other side of the bed, momentarily blocking her view of the storm raging outside.

"Attempt to," he requested.

Deciding not to try the man's patience (at least for now), Eden slid her hand out from beneath the blanket so he could see the pale limb.

There was a distant strain she felt extend from fingernail to elbow, not necessarily painful but there all the same. She'd compare it perhaps to the warning signs of a muscle spasm, though in her attempt to lift her arm, didn't feel like her muscles were the features under pressure.

The limb hovered for a strong five seconds before the strain grew more prominent, again, not exactly painful, but certainly uncomfortable enough to force her into dropping it back on the sheets.

Khan studied the limb for a moment while she watched him with slow breaths, pushing away the thought that he might actually be concerned about her.

"You are freezing."

Startled, Eden hid her arm back beneath the blanket.

"I'm fine."

His eyes were quickly trained on her, narrowed - but not in anger.

"You are not exhibiting outward signs of shivering or frostbite, but internally, I'm to guess you are feeling like you are caught in a snow storm."

"It's not that severe."

"You are downplaying it," he disapproved, tilting his head to observe her from a different angle. "Your reaction to my blood is abnormal. Its intent is to heal and build up your physical system so diseases and wounds are less crippling. Not nearly as potent as my own body's, but a greater step above your race. Should an epidemic sweep through the world and natural selection takes its rightful course, you would undoubtedly survive. My blood guarantees that. Though, in your case, I'm uncertain as to why you are having such a violent reaction to it."

"It can't make me worse, though, can it?" she inquired quietly.

"No."

This answer was said as abstractly as possible, alerting Eden to his own ambivalence regarding her condition.

"And you've never give a human your blood before," she repeated. "So, you can't be sure if this is normal or not."

"I had test subjects," he defended. "The blood coursing through a human's veins would not only welcome my own, but strive to replicate the stunning regeneration within the cells. No great scientist - provided time is not of the essence - ignores the experimentative stage of a theory."

It took a few seconds before she realized what bothered her about his statement.

"I'm not the only human you plan on giving your blood to, am I?"

His silence spoke volumes.

"Are you creating an army? Is that why you're here? Altering a human's physiological makeup so they're more compatible to fight alongside you? Are you planning to overthrow Starfleet?"

As she bombarded him with these questions, Eden was puzzled to find she felt disappointed. By this point, Khan nearly had her convinced (reluctantly, of course) that his blood wasn't something he gave out often or freely. Subconsciously and without her permission, this led her to believe that he genuinely wished to atone for hitting her on the street.

But now, it seemed he'd been just as misleading as usual.

"I have no grand scheme regarding an army," he remarked seriously, making sure he had full eye contact as he relayed this. "And what I've said to you is true. My blood is not something I would willingly give to your race. At least if the reasons weren't of great importance."

"You experimented-."

"There was only one individual, initially, who was to be gifted with what makes me superior," he interrupted, tone harsher. "I have no motivation nor reason to tell you why or who it is. But understand there was no plan to include you. A regrettable choice, I've come to realize. Had I been aware a reaction such as your was possible, I'd have experimented more thoroughly."

Her brain didn't know whether to believe him or not, but she did think he sounded palpable. Which is otherwise useless seeing as he was a master manipulator.

"Sure," was what she finally breathed out.

Then, ignoring his gaze, Eden worked on flipping herself to her opposite side, suddenly more content with looking at the wall.

The entire process felt as if she was moving around for the first time after having been in a coma for twenty years. And as Khan had noted, not even bringing her duvet impossibly close to her skin could make the icy atmosphere clinging to her body, retreat.

"In this case, your disbelief is taxing."

"I never believed anyone could ever have a relationship without trust," she countered from behind her blanket. "You've proven me wrong."

Whether it was actually necessary or not, Eden didn't know, but she heard Khan emit a deep sigh seconds after her statement.

There was an odd battle being waged in her head in response to his grumbling.

One end vehemently wanted Khan to get the hell out of her home and let her finally sleep in peace. This stemmed from the trying day he'd put her through and the consequences even he was unsure of regarding her body's reaction to his blood.

The second and less pleasing side wanted company.

Remarkably, this had a lot to do with her earlier epiphany during her hot air balloon ride. That one of the reasons she was so unhappy was because she was lonely.

Sure, loneliness meant sure she was never disappointed and allowed her to understand herself better than most people.

However, Khan was the first person who indirectly put her living arrangement in perspective. Granted, she wasn't to the point of starving for contact, but, she was more aware that living as she did wasn't something that made her happy or could continue to anymore.

Then again, did she really think Khan's companionship was what she needed at the moment?

Certainly not.

Did her mind try convincing her it couldn't be all that bad?

Against all sane reasoning, yes.

She was caught off guard when the mattress unexpectedly dipped down and her blanket was lifted away.

"Ugh...please, not now," she argued tiredly, missing the heat already. "Can't you just go masturbate like everyone else?"

Khan, already in bed by this point, ignored her comment, pulling the blanket over both of their bodies before positioning himself directly behind her.

Physically, there wasn't much she could do to protest as he huddled himself into her back, one muscled arm relaxing over her hip and tangling with her left arm while his legs trapped her own two from gaining distance from him.

Fortunately, her voice still worked.

"Are you naked?"

Rather than horror, she asked this with something akin to curiosity. That she blamed on her frazzled mind.

"My shirt and jeans are discarded."

She attempted to shift forward at this revelation, but somehow, this only secured her further into his hold.

"You're wearing-?"

"Yes," he assured, low voice ghosting across her ear. "My intent tonight is nothing of the sexual nature, though considering your obvious modesty, it may be interpreted as such."

"This is a bit intimate," she pointed out.

"Yes," he agreed once more.

They laid in silence for a good two minutes before Eden finally came up with a reason why he would suddenly decide to snuggle with her.

"Your body is burning up. I never noticed it before."

"My body temperature often fluctuates to adapt to an environment. Usually at what humans would consider dangerous degrees."

"What's your limit?"

"I haven't yet discovered this. But rest assured you and the healthiest of your species would die before figuring it out."

This quieted her successfully, making her less inspired to discuss what was occurring between their bodies.

Khan must have recognized the intensity of his words because his tone was less imposing in his next inquiry.

"Are you feeling warmer?"

Eden didn't understand why warmth extended in a trickle through her stomach when he whispered this. Perhaps because he sounded so uncommonly nurturing. As if her ailment was something he wished to soothe not because of an ulterior motive, but because he wanted to.

"Getting there," she assured.

His hold on her tightened. Not like it usually did whenever he was attempting to keep her from escaping, arms practically branding themselves around her.

No, this time felt different. It felt less vindictive and more...protective.

"Why are you doing this?"

At this point, she accepted what he was trying to do. Transfer the incredible heat in his body into her own so she wasn't so cold.

And had he been any other male, Eden wouldn't have bothered to question the thoughtful action.

But as always, she knew who Khan was. To label his touch as anything less than suspicious would be an insult to everything she'd been through so far.

"I can adjust to the cold," she input when he didn't reply. "Unless you're lying and this is some tactic to seduce me."

His mouth was pressed to a patch of skin below her earlobe, and when he smiled, she felt his lips extend over the area with surprising sensitivity.

"Are you feeling seduced?"

He practically purred this, the sound alone completely throwing her off from his usual growls and snarls. In fact, if he hadn't spoken this into her ear, she'd have thought him incapable of eliciting such a noise.

Swallowing through a suddenly dry throat, Eden mentioned thoughtfully, "It'll take a little more than that. I have high standards."

Through her back, she could feel him contain a laugh, his chest rumbling rhythmically.

Thankful he couldn't see her face, Eden focused on the slapping of rain against her window. It'd been practically non-existent to her ears the moment Khan slipped into bed with her and now that things were getting a bit more surreal, she used the rain as a much needed distraction. It was far better than admitting Khan could actually be intimate without being _intimate_.

Though, she supposed by thinking this already, it was a form of admission.

Ah, she was royally screwed, wasn't she?

No, not yet. She needed to keep herself distracted.

"You're enjoying this," he commented, voice sounding somewhat distant despite being beside her ear.

"Defect of being one of London's loneliest idiots," she confessed without thought. "Were it one of your own people and you were lonely, you'd enjoy it too."

"You think I would exchange the comfort of your body for one of my own people?"

"In a heartbeat."

She wasn't sure why she felt faintly sad at this, but God help her if it wasn't the truth.

"That is true," he admitted after a moment. "Though, I find myself wondering since you are so content with my touch, of all males, whether you are lonely on purpose."

"Are you looking for an actual answer?"

"Yes. Your entire method of living makes me curious."

Eden didn't speak again until the lightning crackled ominously from miles away.

"After my parents were gone, I pushed society away. Which is natural for someone who's grieving and had no one to lean on. But now that I'm better, I'm aware that I never really made the effort to reclaim that lost distance. I got so...comfortable in my own head that nothing ordinary - relationships, friends, love, a career - ever became a priority. I admired it all from a distance, never really thinking I could have it again after such a long time."

"And now you are realizing all that you have ignored. Why?"

"Because you're going to kill me eventually."

Now, the silence between them grew awkward. Or at least on Eden's end, it did.

Rather than worry about it, however, she took shelter in the warmth generating not only through her skin, but into her bones.

Thanks to the man behind her.

She needed a drink. She needed therapy. She needed medication.

Perhaps all three simultaneously.

"You believe I am going to kill you?"

His voice reached its peak in neutrality. The question could have been playing on loop and she still wouldn't have been able to determine the emotion behind it.

"If I submit to you, yes. I guess that's even more incentive to resist. Though, it has crossed my mind a few times to just give in so this nightmare will be over."

The words sounded astonishingly brutal to her ears, but she had to keep perspective, right?

"I hesitate in providing you with false hope, but understand that I will not allow harm to be done to you. If your death ever comes about, it will be at my hands alone."

"How reassuring."

"I am guaranteeing your survival."

"At everyone's hands but yours. I'd take my chances with everyone else."

Now, his arms tightened in a warning.

"You are needlessly paranoid."

"You are a lying bastard."

They reached an impasse in which neither of them spoke and Eden, slowly but surely, felt the fight spill out of her. And that irksome accommodating nature of hers (which would probably get her killed in the end) take its place.

"Thanks for offering me your...body heat," she said, unsure if she worded it the most gracefully. "And not molesting me."

As the seconds crawled by, his hold gradually eased up on her.

"You are welcome."

This time, Eden worked at not saying anything for at least a full ten minutes. Which would have been a far easier feat had she not had a half naked man attached to her.

What continuously threw her off from deducing his intentions was his tenderness. Her brief flings with guys couldn't hold a torch to this night alone. And it frustrated her. How was he allowed to be everything the lonely side of her craved while managing to remind her that she was expendable?

"If you offered your submission at this moment, I would not take it."

Well, that came out of nowhere.

"I'd be willing," Eden offered, not fazed by the magnitude of the conversation.

"No, you would not," Khan detected. "At least not the sort of willingness I am seeking. Plus, you can barely manage to lift a limb. Rest assured that when I finally take you, your body will be used to its full capacity. And afterward, you will think of no other man nor take any other lover but myself."

"Provided I live that long."

"If you do as I say, I don't see why I should have to kill you."

"But then you'll lose what makes me so entertaining. Can you honestly say that you'd find me as tolerable as you do had I done everything you said from day one? I'd still be in the basement, awaiting your return."

"Perhaps."

She knew it was a thought to mull over for the both of them. Just how differently things could have turned out had she let him intimidate and abuse her. Was she worse for the wear as a result? Or could he have been out of her life by this point?

Ten minutes finally managed to go by without a word spoken between them and Eden admitted (only to herself) how thankful she was Khan decided to share his body heat with her. Without it, she wouldn't have gotten much sleep.

It was a notoriously irritating habit of hers to have a difficult time sleeping when she was cold. Not just any cold that could be cured by a few blankets and a heater, but the type of cold where your feet never warm up no matter how many layers of socks you put on or how long you stand beneath a scalding hot shower.

Tonight could have just as easily been one of those nights and coupled with the odd discomfort in her limbs, downright hellish.

But Khan had changed that.

She felt a tightening in her stomach. The same tightening that was usually contained to their more sexual encounters. What did it mean if it was now occurring without sexual intimacy being involved?

"Relax," he suddenly mumbled. "You are aiding to your discomfort by tensing up."

"I-okay," she conceded, not wanting to argue because this time, she knew he was right.

Her shoulders rolled back once, hoping to ease out that tension, but they grazed Khan's chest.

"Your chest is really defined," she murmured without thought.

"I did not think you capable of an authentic compliment."

"You'd have enjoyed it too much. Plus, it's not you I'm complimenting. Rather, your engineers."

"They are not responsible for it all. Our bodies grew and adjusted to the altercations while weaker bodies and minds died. I spent my days learning everything there was to know mentally and physically. Something a good portion of my counterparts who survived with me, ignored. They thought only primitively with regards to their new bodies. They were arrogant and undeserving of them - repulsively hedonistic, misusing their strengths for petty carnality and refusing to apply intellect to their lives. It gave me satisfaction to rid them from the world and redirect praise to the ones who worked and fought constantly to maintain true strength."

"How is wanting to get pleasure out of life, a weakness?"

"It becomes a weakness when all else is ignored," Khan declared darkly. "What could possibly be so pleasing as to ignore intelligence and purpose? Evolution and triumph? To have the world at your feet and destiny at your command?"

His voice was so thick with unwavering conviction that Eden nearly didn't respond.

But it'd been on the tip of her tongue from the moment he revealed having killed those who had different interests than his own.

"Love."

He made no comment on this and internally, Eden was relieved. As disgusted by the idea of love he could be, she didn't believe he could make proper judgment on such an emotion that remained so foreign to him. It'd be very un-intellectual to not consider something he knew little about.

Though, she reminded herself, he did care. About his people. Or at least that's what she heard in his voice.

Was it possible he could love them as well?

"Ever the optimist, aren't we?"

"I would rather have love than power any day," she insisted softly, fighting not to flinch at his derisive tone.

"You would have died."

"Happily," she added. "And with true purpose."

This successfully muted him for another solid ten minutes.

"You were a scientist?" she suddenly inquired, happy to have her voice a bit thicker with the incoming signs of slumber.

"Yes."

He didn't sound very talkative, so Eden steered herself away from that topic despite it spiking her interest.

"Were you a good lover?"

She nearly broke her mask of nonchalance when his feet jerked in place.

Well, if he wasn't going to talk about being a scientist, then why not his sex life? Strictly for her own amusement, of course.

"Yes," he answered seconds later, body still once more. "When my empire was at its most stable, I had copious offers from females of varying origins and factions to warm my bed, so to speak. What made me take notice was when those formerly part of rebellions I'd squandered, submitted to me."

"That doesn't explain anything," she tried to brush off, though the information was plenty on its own. "Just because you had women lining up at your feet for a good fuck doesn't mean you were anything special."

"Some believed they were in love with me," he continued, lips curling back in displeasure. "This is when they outgrew their usefulness."

Seeing he wasn't going to make the point of answering her former query, she intoned, "Any of them take it particularly hard when you broke up with them?"

"Rethink your choice of words. What I had with them were hardly relationships," he scolded. "Most went back to their daily lives. Some never gave up vying for my attention. A good amount I had executed."

This statement jolted her in place, but Khan held her securely, thumb - voluntarily or otherwise - making light strokes over her hand.

"Why?"

"They had plans to overthrow me and believed being the fuck of the day would guarantee my own submission. Foolish, is it not?"

"Maybe to target you, yes, but I see what they were aiming at. Just before I moved to London, I took an ancient civilization class. I'm not talking about a hundred or two hundred years ago, but when civilizations still bartered food and people for land and prosperity. There lived a woman in what's now Minor Persia named Cleopatra. Supposedly, she was not only dangerously intelligent, but ruthlessly seductive. She brought empires to their knees and took the dignity of many top ranking generals."

"I know whom you speak of. Tell me again how it was she met her end."

"Suicide, but-."

"Her own demise was met by overestimating the needs of a man. These women were similar. It is possible they were once intelligent, but their gratification and pride ruined all notions. Most, I knew of their intentions before meeting them. However, I am entitled to my entertainment."

"You toyed with them."

"Like they were a plaything," he confirmed. "Do not antagonize me further in your mind. All of them enjoyed it."

"Did you have to kill them?"

"For the sake of order, yes."

While his revelation was terrifying on its own, Eden was finally getting a glimpse into what life was like for the man who kidnapped her.

And no wonder why he felt as if he were entitled to her. No woman had ever refused him.

On the other side of the spectrum, it brought about a sort of melancholy thought.

"You lived a really sad life."

"Spare me the melodramatics. They don't suit you."

"But you did," she tried to insist through a sleepy voice. "You were born, experimented on, forced to kill your own kind just because you were programmed to see them inferior, rose to power and had to deal with the constant uncertainty with every person that came into your life, never being able to let your guard down and simply be in love."

"Careful. I would almost think you empathize with me."

"If I close my eyes for a moment and remember all you just told me, I do."

Whatever was going to be said next, it was interrupted when Eden yawned, her body shifting slightly to lay on a different angle. Even if this meant moving herself close enough to where they were practically spooning.

How was it again that she kept getting herself into these situations?

"Why empathize for me when I have given you so little consideration?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

They were quiet from then on and when a full hour passed by of easy silence, Eden began to lose vision as exhaustion finally outweighed the strange straining that was all but disappearing from her body.

"You will be better in the morning," Khan assured, though it sounded from faraway. As if she'd drifted off and his voice was nothing but a mere echo.

But she couldn't deny the comfort these words had on her. And the realization that he never had to have said them in the first place.

Soon after, she passed out into a blissful sleep.

/./././././././././

Eden jerked awake, eyes springing open, then shut when light struck her pupils. One hand was outstretched behind her, vaguely noting the emptiness beside her while another hung over the mattress crookedly.

She moaned willfully, hoping to get a few more hours in of sleep. Her body just wasn't feeling like tackling the world and its problems today.

But before she could indulge in this, her eyes glanced over to the alarm clock.

"Ugh."

Slowly, she forced herself to get up, knowing she'd develop problems again if she made it a habit of sleeping past noon. After her parents had passed, sleeping past noon meant not getting out of bed for the remainder of the day. That wasn't a habit she could physically or mentally afford to pick up again.

A half hour later and she was walking briskly from one end of her hallway to the other, arms stretched above her. This was mainly to make sure all the kinks and strains were no longer hiding in her body, ready to pounce at the first sign of a physical action.

So far, everything worked as it was supposed to and the inhospitable iciness she'd felt the night before, all but vacated her body, though she noted her breathing wasn't as accelerated as usual. It'd been instinctive to feel her own pulse upon examining herself and she wasn't sure if it was good or bad that it was ten pulses below average on the three separate times she checked it.

But other than that abnormality, she was back to her old self, more or less.

The less part, of course, was musing over what had transpired between herself and Khan the night before. And how it was altering her ever changing perception of him.

Finding that being contained in the house wasn't working out for her muddled thoughts, Eden threw on the same sweatshirt from the night before and stalked out her front door.

Once she was able to breathe in air that wasn't stuffy, Eden began a mindless pace over her lawn, uncaring as to who could see her. She had some perfectly intense thoughts storming through her brain.

Why did Khan play nice?

Was it another strategical move?

Was he aware that she had a harder time interpreting his more "considerate" side?

Why did he reveal things from his past?

How long did he stay after she fell asleep?

Well, that last one was something she tried to bury beneath the other more important questions.

And as she pondered these thoughts, a part of her wondered why answering them was so important.

"Damn it."

The answer struck her shortly after.

She was beginning to see him as less of a psychotic machine who only revels in the pain of others. Less of a monster who's only purpose was savagery.

His origins. That's what started the whole reexamination of who he was. Granted, she'd known already that his strength wasn't his own, but having Khan describe the despicable way natural selection had occurred around him as a method of experimentation, she could see how he had gotten it into his head that only those of the utmost mental and physical capacity, mattered.

She understood being hesitant about trusting others. Moving around the States may have introduced her to new people, but she recognized the same traits wherever she went. People could be down right cruel if allowed access to trust. Though he hardly deserved the trust of others, she reluctantly empathized the constant need to protect oneself from people's ominous intentions.

Alone, yes, this part got her empathy.

And yet, that wasn't all of it.

He was capable of being vulnerable. That's what struck her.

Not from what he'd done to help her sleep last night, but from what he'd confessed about his upbringing and having to keep himself so closed off. No one is born that secretive and pugnacious. They learn to be so from experience. And Khan certainly must have had his fair share of experiences to make him the cold, manipulative individual he was today.

Eden couldn't be sure at what point she sat down on the grass, arms hooked around her knees, enjoying the light breeze tickling her bangs. But upon recognizing her position, she couldn't help a chuckle from bursting through. Followed by a chortle. Then, a laugh that had her holding her head in mirth, stupid grin marring her lips.

God, she hoped she wasn't displaying early signs of dementia. Though, her mother was partially senile so it wouldn't surprise her all that much.

But each time she kept replaying the turbulent journey that led her to this point, everything suddenly seemed funny. Even the not funny parts. Possibly because she'd actually survived it all in one piece when she wasn't sure she was supposed to.

For some unfathomable reason, that made her laugh rather than cry.

Then again, when she wasn't sulking about her life, Eden did try to see the silver lining, didn't she?

Having survived this long, she thought the answer was a firm yes.

So, with steady feet, she picked herself up, brushing the excess grass off her pants before risking a glance at the sky. It was still unreasonably murky, but the weather wasn't terrible. A bit nippy if one neglected a sweatshirt.

Today, according to Khan, was the last day she would spend in her house. So, it would sit with reason that she do something fun. Before things got complicated and mad again.

It didn't take her long to decide on what, though celebrating, she felt, had been pointless since her parents' deaths. Then again, she was seeing her life from an alternate vantage point. Maybe this was a step forward into normality.

Just as Eden made to take her first step toward the house, a terrible, deafening sound blasted through the air, forcing her to clamp both hands firmly over her ears. She managed to keep herself balanced despite the ground beneath her feet rumbling and when the noise finally dulled considerably, opened both eyes.

It took a careful spin in each direction, attempting to pin point where the blast had come from (everyone born in the age of peace among Earth would know the sound of an explosion from the old war films they were required to watch in school) before her eyes located the area of devastation.

There was smoke spewing out of a building (which one, she couldn't tell) near the skyscrapers of the business side of London. Not soon after, a thick mix of dust and fire blanketed the area as the building began collapsing upon itself, each demolished floor sending a worse tug at her heart because she knew there'd be people trapped inside.

Then, within the blink of an eye, the building disappeared into a rubble of dust and the charred remnants of steel and glass.

* * *

**And so, it begins. When I began writing this chapter, I knew I wanted Khan to be a tad bit less of an evil bastard. However, writing him a bit more gentle or concerned, is terribly difficult for me. Especially since he's planning to have the archive bombed the very next day. Hopefully, this chapter didn't turn you off too much. Sometimes, it's difficult to delicately balance the guy because at the root of it, he's so vengeful. But his behavior is impulsively unpredictable in Eden's presence. In that way, I can't speak (won't!) for his actions. But there will be a whole lot of confusing emotions Eden feels as a result of the different sides of Khan she's seen. Which is the downside of her witnessing a gentler (I cringe at this word, but can't think of a better one) Khan. Let me know your thoughts in a review.**


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